Lawmaker: Missouri loss limit bill aimed at education, not casinos

Joe Stange

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2000 | 9:18 a.m.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The sponsor of a bill that would repeal the $500 loss limit in Missouri casinos to generate money for education told a House panel Tuesday that he has no love for the gambling industry.

"I'm going to start out right off the bat and tell you that this is not a pro-gaming bill, this is a pro-education bill," said Rep. Jim Kreider, D-Nixa.

Kreider's proposal would remove the law that caps an individual's losses at a Missouri riverboat casino at $500 per two-hour period. Repealing the limit should generate at least $120 million that would be added to a state grant fund to help local school districts add or improve buildings, he said.

The plan attracted immediate concern from members of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, who wondered aloud if the gambling issue should be further mingled with education funding.

Asked Rep. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph: "Why do you take the loss limit off and drag that argument into this?"

"The answer is very simple," Kreider said. "$120 million."

Kreider said the Legislature needs to find some way to help districts build schools and relieve the resulting pressure to increase property taxes.

His bill would also divert the use of gambling money from the state's foundation formula, the mechanism that sends basic aid to public school districts, and use general revenue for the formula instead.

Rowena Conklin, a lobbyist for Kansas City suburban schools and Missouri school administrators, testified in favor of Kreider's bill because it would divorce gambling money from the foundation formula.

But she said she also opposed using that much gambling money for school buildings.

Instead, Conklin suggested using state bond financing of the kind some have proposed for transportation. "That's a compelling package to take to voters," she said.

Another idea, suggested at the hearing by Rep. Roy Holand, R-Springfield, would keep the loss limit but charge casino gamblers an extra $1 to board.

Kreider said the ideas piqued his interest but his support hinges largely on how much revenue they would provide.

Gambling revenue "was the place where we could find the amount we needed," Kreider said. "I'm not married to this loss limit thing."

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Gambling money bill is HB1474 (Kreider).

Legislation is available on the Missouri General Assembly site on the Internet at the following address:

http://www.moga.state.mo.us/