Monday, April 02, 2007

Early Thursday, thanks to a bizarre series of procedural moves and missteps,
arm twisting and 12 hours of filibustering, the long odds finally paid off.
The bill passed 21-19 and is on its way to the governor, who said Thursday
she will sign it. In a strange twist, it was actually attempts to kill the
bill by anti-gambling lawmakers that allowed it to pass. At noon Wednesday,
supporters had no intention of voting on gambling, quietly working to secure
votes for a vote planned for next week at the earliest. But opponents saw a
chance to catch them unaware. Just before 1 p.m., they moved to force a
vote. Democrats mounted a filibuster. Their aim was to stall until they
could make one of two things happen: find the necessary 21 votes to pass the
bill or get the House to send the bill to a conference committee. If the
bill were in a conference committee, it would be kept alive despite the
effort to kill it in the Senate. By forcing the vote, opponents bet they
could outlast the filibuster and reject the bill before the House could put
it in committee. With all the chips on the table, the bet proved costly.
"For 14 years, the supporters of expanded gaming have managed to kill it,"
said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, an Independence Republican. "This
year, the opponents of expanded gaming have managed to pass it." Based on
conventional wisdom, this should not have been the year lawmakers passed
gambling. A proposal fell flat during the 2001 recession, when the state was
desperate for revenue. Plans failed in the last two years, when gambling
operators promised money that could have solved the state's school finance
crisis. This year, state finances are healthy and there's no looming
financial crisis. But other factors favored gambling. Several small casinos
have recently sprouted just across the Oklahoma border, drawing gamblers and
their money from Kansas and spurring local efforts to pass gambling in the
state. Gambling picked up a few votes in the House thanks to the recent
elections, which saw the retirement or defeat of some anti-gambling
lawmakers.

Something else had changed: After 14 years of attempts, gambling proponents
had finally put together a bill that attracted broad support. The plan
narrowly passed the House on Monday, 64-58.

It was a riskier proposition in the Senate, where a gambling bill failed
last year 16-20. This year, however, just enough senators who had previously
not supported gambling switched sides to tip the scales.

One of them said he was just waiting for the right bill. He said this year's
plan was more limited and calls for more state oversight to keep out
corruption.

"I've never been a 'no' on gaming," said Sen. Terry Bruce, a Hutchinson
Republican whose support proved decisive. "I've been a 'yes,' as long as the
right conditions were met."

Throughout the Democrat's filibuster, gambling lobbyists, pro-gambling
lawmakers and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius quietly worked to win over lawmakers
such as Bruce.

But as late as 10 p.m. Wednesday, supporters in the Senate said they didn't
have the votes to pass the bill.

Opponents stood strong, vowing to stay all night if that's what it took to
kill the bill.

"On a bill that would change the face of Kansas, this is worth it," said
Sen. Karin Brownlee, an Olathe Republican.

Just after 11 p.m., the filibuster wore on. Sen. Janis Lee, a Kensington
Democrat, was reading a chapter on male competition for mates from a
sociological text.

Across the rotunda, pro-gambling House members pushed for the House to send
the bill to committee, a procedural move designed to protect the bill. But
House leadership, which opposed the bill, refused to call the House into
session.

Instead, the House speaker was in his office behind closed doors. Outside,
House members stewed, and the Democrats briefly commandeered the House
microphone in a failed effort to lure him out.

At 11:15 or so, Senate leaders realized they had 21 votes. They ended the
filibuster and allowed the vote to go forward.

Opponents wouldn't give in. They repeated concerns that more gambling would
siphon money from other businesses, hurt families, and open the door to
corruption.

"We've given away the farm tonight," said Sen. Susan Wagle, a Wichita
Republican. ".This is a vote that people will regret."