Neal defends bill to outlaw campaign donations from casinos

Jennifer Coleman

Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999 | 9:03 a.m.

CARSON CITY - Nevada's casinos have too much influence over the state's politicians, says Sen. Joe Neal, who introduced a bill to ban campaign funds from the clubs.

Neal, D-North Las Vegas, compares the multibillion-dollar casino industry and its influence in Nevada to the military-industrial complex and its power in national politics.

"While war is not the objective of the gaming industrial complex, control and influence of the democratic process is," Neal said during a Senate Government Affairs hearing Wednesday on SB86.

"I've been around here quite some time and I've seen the political process over the years," Neal added. "But last year was the first time all of the casino industry support went to one candidate."

Neal was referring to Gov. Kenny Guinn's $5.3 million campaign, in which a third of the funds came from the casino industry. Neal, an also-ran in the 1998 Democratic primary for governor, got virtually no money from the clubs.

But casino lobbyists and some of Neal's colleagues weren't convinced his bill was necessary.

Jim Mulhall, vice president of governmental affairs for the Nevada Resort Association, said SB86 would start the state down a slippery slope of discriminating against other groups.

"Once the Legislature says one set of people have a reduced set of rights than someone else, you've got problems," he said.

Calling Neal's words an "indictment of all of us," Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, asked Neal why he wanted to target the "tourism lifeline" for the state. Casino taxes account for more than a third of the state's tax collections.

Neal insisted that if state government didn't step up regulation of casinos, the federal government would.

"SB86 gives notice to the public at large and people in the federal government that we want to control gaming and not let gaming control us," Neal said.

Neal also has proposed SB91, which provides for a 400-word statement by each candidate on sample ballots. He says that would relieve candidates of the need for contributions to pay for costly advertising.