Posted 3/21/01 State-run casino subject of proposed constitutional amendment By T.W. Budig ECM capitol reporter A proposed constitutional amendment that if approved would allow the state to own and operate a privately managed casino was heard in a Senate committee on Tuesday, March 13. An offshoot of the Day-Hackbarth casino bill, the legislation was eventually laid-over after a sometimes rollicking State & Local Government Operations Committee hearing. ìMinnesotans do want their own casino,î said Senate Majority Leader Dick Day, R, Owatonna, sponsor of the casino initiative in the Senate. His proposal for a state casino has strong public support and could garner the state $200 million to $500 million a year to help pay for state infrastructure, said Day. Competition is good, said Day. Why should Native Americas alone benefit from casino gambling in Minnesota, he asked. ìWhy should one people have a three or four billion industry with no competition,î said Day. A number of people testified against Dayís proposed constitutional amendment. Peter DeFoe, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe president, said if competition was so important to the state why doesnít Minnesota establish a football or baseball team to compete against the Vikings and the Twins. They have no competition in the state, he said. In the past, whenever an Indian tribe had something of value, Americans always managed to steal it, said DeFoe. ìWe can only ask you not to steal our future,î he said. Audrey Kohnen, Prairie Island Indian Community president, said her tribe had made $2 million in donations to the local community and that Indian casinos serve as economic engines to rural Minnesota. But Day said there were some 30,000 to 40,000 Native Americans living in the metro, some in impoverished circumstances, and the tribes donít seem willing to help them. But Kohnen said the amount of money the various Indian casinos make actually can vary a great deal ñ itís not a question of all tribal members experiencing large earnings, she said. Fr. Dave McCauley, of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, spoke in opposition to Dayís legislation, saying gambling profits are ìalluringî but that pursuing state casinos was bad public policy. McCauley spoke of the destructive force of gambling on society. But Day took issue. ìIím already in Purgatory so why not step all the way,î said Day, a Catholic. It was ìhypocriticalî of the Catholic Conference to denounce gambling when bingo and other forms of gambling have long been common in Catholic parishes, said Day. But McCauley argued that a distinction existed between small time gambling within a parish and big money, state-sponsored gambling. After a heated exchange in committee on whether Day could table his bill, he agreed to lay the bill over thereby making it subject to the recall of committee chairman Sen. Jim Vickerman, DFL, Tracy. During committee, Vickerman said he had planned to spend a single day on Dayís bill. After committee Day indicated that he believed his bill would have failed in committee had a vote been taken. ìI think it would of (failed), but I donít know,î he said. ìIt would have been very close,î he said. Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R, Cedar, the casino bill sponsor in the House, said he believes House Governmental Operations & Veterans Affairs Policy chairman Rep. Jim Rhodes, R, St. Louis Park, wants the state casino bill to succeed. To this end, Rhodes proposes to hold hearings this summer on the legislation with the idea of selling it, said Hackbarth. If thatís what needs to happen, then thatís fine, said Hackbarth. ìI have to work within the system,î he said. But they were hoping the legislation would at least pass one legislative body this session, said Hackbarth. Next session is a short session and getting the legislation through could be tough. Hackbarth said that he had been advised that a constitutional amendment is not necessary for the type of casino operation proposed in the legislation. But he accepts Dayís approach. ìI believe it will (pass),î said Hackbarth of the casino amendment if it makes its way onto the ballot. An adopted amendment would reinforce the publicís support for casino, he said. ©Post Review