In his fifth State of the Commonwealth address, yesterday Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear laid out a robust and expansive legislative agenda and challenged lawmakers to avoid partisanship and work together in order to improve Kentuckians’ lives. “Kentucky continues to suffer from the lingering effects of the global recession, but short-term survival cannot be our only goal,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is no time to rest, to be complacent, to hide or to be timid. Rather, it is time to be decisive and aggressive.”
Although the Governor announced that his budget proposal would not include revenue from gaming, he urged lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment that would allow Kentuckians to vote on expanded gaming in November. “Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent in neighboring states’ casinos, funding their schools and roads and hiring police officers and teachers. That money belongs in Kentucky and should be funding the services Kentuckians need,” Gov. Beshear said. In addition, Gov. Beshear noted that two recent polls show that more than 80% of Kentuckians want the opportunity to vote on this issue.
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The Governor will soon introduce a bill in the Senate to allow Kentuckians to vote on the issue of expanded gaming – a move which would return millions of dollars to the state to protect and support key priorities such as public protection, education and job creation. In 2008 Beshear proposed that Kentucky should licence up to seven racinos in the famous horseracing state and five stand-alone casinos. He argued then, as now, that Kentucky money was being gambled in neighbouring states. It remains to be seen if his latest proposals succeed where previous attempts failed, persuading state legislators to pass the constitutional amendment allowing voters to decide on the issue of expanded gambling. (E-01.05.12)
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