Illinois Casino Bill Laden With Pork
By Chuck Sudo in News on May 28, 2013 4:00PM
Gov. Pat Quinn has repeatedly stated he would oppose legislation expanding gambling in Illinois without strict oversight from the Illinois Gaming Board. Here are a few reasons Quinn has been so wary of the bills that have come his way.
The Tribune reports the current legislation making its way through the Illinois General Assembly is loaded with pork barrel projects, instructions for how to distribute revenue from expanded gambling in the Prairie State and finding plenty of open palms waiting to be greased.
Among the projects buried deep in the 500-plus page bill are:
- A “Latino community economic development fund”
- A “depressed communities economic development fund”
- Provisions allowing communities to benefit from gambling revenue, even if they were passed over a casino
- An annual grant to the Chicago Botanic Garden
- Funding for equine research, soil and water conservation, and grants to State and county fairs
- A provision to defray some of the revenues to pay Illinois’ growing stack of unpaid bills
The total estimated amount of earmarked revenues is $250 million. The latest gambling bill in Springfield contains minor tweaks to the previous bills Quinn vetoed, and the provisions for the two economic development funds are seen by some as blatant pandering to minority voting blocs to ensure the bill’s passage. State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) said the bill is no different from any other where revenue is distributed. “Clearly, Chicago and the Chicago area is going to be a huge winner, so to put extra pork into Chicago is something that's probably not necessary — but something that happens as part of the process.”