Ohio budget panel drops casino patron photo plan

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio legislative panel has dropped a budget proposal that would have required casinos to keep patron photos for five years.

The casino proposal was aimed at making it easier for law enforcement to track and clamp down on money laundering. Instead, the Joint Committee on Gaming and Wagering will study the issue and prepare a report of its findings and recommendations by the end of the year.

Other changes to the budget bill today would direct $1 million annually to a fund at the Ohio attorney general’s office to be used to assist rape crisis centers.

A six-member conference committee is putting the finishing touches on the state budget.

Lawmakers face a Sunday deadline to pass the two-year spending bill.