Slots bill faces its first test in Senate

Gov. Bob Taft has said he remains opposed to video slot machines.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- A state Senate committee is set to vote next week on a plan to bring video-lottery terminals to Ohio horse racetracks with much of the state's share of the proceeds going to fund college scholarships.
State Sen. Kevin Coughlin, chairman of the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, said the panel will vote either Tuesday or Wednesday on a plan that would give scholarships to those in the top 10 percent of graduating high school classes to attend public or private colleges in Ohio.
The plan is to be on the Senate floor Wednesday, Coughlin said.
"I think it is the most sweeping and historical financial aid program ever developed in the state of Ohio," Coughlin said.
Committee members will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing video slots in the state and a bill governing their operation, Coughlin said. Both measures are sponsored by state Sen. Louis W. Blessing Jr., a Cincinnati Republican.
How it would work
Under the proposal, the top 10 percent of Ohio's graduates would be eligible for a $5,900 scholarship renewable for as many as three years.
If an eligible graduate doesn't accept an Ohio Scholarship, the award would go to the next student in the graduating class.
If approved, revenue from the video lottery terminals would be split between the Ohio horse racing tracks and state coffers. Legislative analysts estimate the state would generate between $200 million and $500 million a year in revenue from video lottery terminals -- electronic machines that can play traditional slot games as well as keno and video poker.
Republican Gov. Bob Taft has said he remains opposed to video slot machines at Ohio racetracks and that he would campaign against it if it makes it onto the ballot.
Under the Senate proposal, 5 percent or $25 million of the state's share would also be used for primary, secondary and vocational school building construction.
Supporters are also still developing an incentive-based scholarship program that would encourage Ohioans to pursue a college education.
Democrats
Senate Minority Leader Gregory L. DiDonato said he's supportive of the measures and said that as many as half of the 11-member Democratic caucus could be supportive as well.
"Where I represent, the rural areas, it will definitely hit the middle class," said DiDonato, a Dennison Democrat.
DiDonato said linking the video-lottery terminal proceeds to funding college scholarships, an idea first championed by the Democrats, could end up being a key reason for Ohio voters to support the proposal.
Supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment say, if approved by the Legislature, it would be for the March statewide ballot. Three-fifths of the members of each legislative chamber have to approve to submit a proposed constitutional amendment to Ohio voters.
Coughlin has said he has the votes in the Senate to pass the measures.