CHICAGO (AP) — Two months after lawmakers approved a massive expansion of gambling in Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn has revealed only a few private hints of what his objections may be to the bill as he conducts revolving meetings with supporters and opponents.
But Quinn has vowed not to let the matter drag on
too long. He said this week that he has been meeting with lawmakers and expects
to deal with the bill well before the Legislature goes back to work in late
October during the fall veto session.
It's during that session that lawmakers could
accept any changes Quinn might make to the bill or try to override a veto, a
potentially daunting proposition because the measure only narrowly passed
before lawmakers left the Illinois Capitol in May.
Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar is among those who
have met with Quinn to advocate for the measure, and he came away feeling that
the Democratic governor was still undecided.
"He might have something in his mind but my
sense was he hasn't finalized what he's going to do," said Edgar, a
racehorse owner who met Quinn along with other horsemen to argue the bill would
help the racing industry.
The legislation would allow for five new casinos,
expanded gambling at 10 existing casinos and the addition of slot machines at
race tracks. Among the new gaming facilities would be Chicago's first casino,
an element strongly supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Supporters of the measure are outpacing opponents
in calls and emails to the governor's office. A Quinn spokeswoman said 11,064
people have expressed support, while 2,961 are opposed.
Legislative leaders continue to use a legislative
maneuver to keep the bill off Quinn's desk until they get a better gauge of
what he wants. That keeps Quinn from using his veto to block the bill or
rewrite it. He has turned up his nose before at any significant expansion.
Quinn acknowledged he hasn't provided lawmakers
with a list of what he likes and dislikes in the bill. But previously, he has
expressed reservations about regulatory issues in the bill and seemed to
dismiss the idea of growing the number of casinos in the state. He has said he
was open to the idea of a Chicago casino if it was done right.
"We don't want any bad characters getting
involved in gaming," Quinn said Thursday.
One of the bill's chief sponsors, Democratic Sen.
Terry Link, said he knows what some of Quinn's concerns are. "And no, I'm
not going to tell you," Link said.
Link said giving Quinn these months to study the
bill has been a good thing.
"If we would have handed him the bill, he
would have never had this opportunity," he said.
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, who
initiated the legislative maneuver to keep the bill from Quinn's desk, also has
been meeting with Quinn. Cullerton's spokeswoman, Rikeesha Phelon, said
lawmakers can deal with any Quinn objections if he makes them clear.
"In any negotiation you need to be able to
hear from the opposing party about what their demands are, to have a sense of
what their criticisms are in order to formulate a fix," she said.
Quinn says he has been using the time to study and
analyze the 400-page piece of legislation. That has meant talking to mayors
whose cities would get casinos, including Danville and Rockford, and opponents
who want Quinn to arrest the growth of gambling in Illinois.
Quinn's decision-making is similar to the process
he went through before he signed a bill earlier this year banning the death
penalty in Illinois even though he said he supported capital punishment. Quinn
held numerous meetings with prosecutors, victims' families and death penalty
opponents before making up his mind just like he's doing with the gambling
expansion bill.
"Everybody, I think, will at the end of the
day say that they had a chance to speak and get their points across,"
Quinn said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
