Senate consideration of a bill that would eliminate state subsidies for greyhound racing (SB641) was postponed for a second straight day Saturday, in part to resolve concerns from the horse racing industry that the bill – or a similar bill in the House – could also eliminate state funding for thoroughbred racing.
“It's hot,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson. He said the Senate postponed action to verify the bill is limited to greyhound racing, and does not have provisions that would allow the state's two thoroughbred racetrack casinos to also “decouple” requirements to have live racings in order to maintain state video lottery and table games licenses.
“We want to make sure it does just that,” he said of limiting the bill to greyhound racing.
Meanwhile, greyhound breeders raised concerns about the fate of about 1,700 people employed in greyhound racing in the state, as well as 3,000 to 4,000 dogs that will no longer be needed for racing.
“They're just giving a death sentence to the greyhounds,” said breeder Tom Salem. “They're going to have to put a lot of greyhounds down.”
He said there's no likelihood many of the dogs could be transferred to remaining active greyhound tracks in Arkansas, Alabama or Florida, or to adopt them out as pets.
Salem said he would prefer a phase-out of racing, as was proposed in a bill last year that would have provided the industry a three-year, $36 million buyout.
“I'm worried about the dogs, and all the people they're putting out of work,” he said.
Unlike last year's proposal, the current bill redirects all Lottery profits that now go into the greyhound purse and breeders' fund into the state general fund.
Both bills are based on the findings of a 2015 study by Spectrum Gaming Group, which concluded it would be in the best interest of the state to cease greyhound racing.
The Spectrum study found that, with attendance and wagering in steep decline since 1990, state subsidies – from racetrack casino profits -- in 2012 accounted for $29 million of a $31 million greyhound racing industry.
Spectrum, a leading independent research firm specializing in the gaming industries, concluded that, “Surely, the state of West Virginia could put the casino supplements to better use for the benefit of West Virginia.”
The bill would raise thresholds for petitions for recall referenda for each casino's gaming licenses from 5 percent of registered voters in the host county to 20 percent, to make it more difficult for the racing industry to retaliate by eliminating gaming at the casinos.
Also Saturday, the Senate:
| Passed 32-2 and sent to the House a bill (SB 116) that would increase the maximum number of Limited Video Lottery machines at bars and clubs from five to seven, and the maximum at fraternal organizations from 10 to 12.
Advocates say that allowing more video lottery machines at the “hottest” locations will increase state video lottery revenue by $20 million or more a year.
“There are locations that aren't producing at all,” Senate Finance Chairman Mike Hall, R-Putnam, said. “Owners might want to move machines from a location that's dead in terms of play into a location that's more active.”
Sens. Palumbo and Unger voted no.
| Passed 34-0 and sent to the House the Second Chance Drivers License Act (SB 634), which would allow the Division of Motor Vehicles to stay suspensions or revocations of driver's licenses for failure to pay court costs, allowing individuals who set up payment plans to pay off their debts.
Sen. Bill Laird, D-Fayette, a longtime advocate of what he called a “commonsense program,” said that each year, more than 60,000 West Virginians are unable to get their licenses because of unpaid court costs.
“As we well know, West Virginia continues to struggle with the lowest workforce participation rate in the United States,” he said, noting that in rural parts of the state, a driver's license is a mandatory prerequisite to be able to work.
He said that creates a quandary for people who can't work because they can't drive, and can't drive because they don't have work to be able to pay off their court costs.
Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304 348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.
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