Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001 | 10:48 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawmakers and gaming lobbyists say a bill that could hurt state casinos and sports books likely will follow one of two paths -- and they are bracing for both.
The bill would outlaw betting on college sports in Nevada. In one scenario, the bill would surface immediately on Capitol Hill, and its sponsors would hurriedly push for a debate and vote.
Or the bill's sponsors in Congress could wait until March to capitalize on publicity generated by the annual NCAA basketball tournament.
Either way, it's an uphill battle for Nevada's four-member delegation and gambling lobbyists who face the National Collegiate Athletic Association and lawmakers who say the bill will curb illegal gambling on college campuses nationwide and reduce the chances for fixing games.
"We're going to work the Hill on both sides of the aisle to convince the members of Congress that not only is this bad legislation -- it's a bad idea that will make the situation worse and only increase illegal gambling," said Frank Fahrenkopf, American Gaming Association president and a top Washington lobbyist.
Now that President Bush has officially taken up residence in the White House, the 535 members of Congress will roll up their sleeves for what likely will be a contentious year.
Nevada's four delegates will join House and Senate colleagues in tackling a slate of issues that includes health care, education, tax and energy.
But they will focus on two familiar issues: battling a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and the betting ban.
"We're up for the fight," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. "Not only do we have right on our side, we have common sense."
Several key lawmakers will shape the future of the betting-ban bill. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., takes over this year as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the legislation in the lower chamber.
Sensenbrenner won't discuss his priorities for the committee yet, according to spokeswoman Gina Carty. But he is much more sympathetic to Nevada's delegation than predecessor Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., according to Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.
Nevada lawmakers again will argue that the betting ban will not stem the tide of illegal gambling by students on campuses nationwide.
"We certainly hope to be able to kill this thing," Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said. He hopes to fight the bill from his new perch in the Senate Commerce Committee, where the bill originates. Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., is a chief sponsor.
Widespread support
The bill has widespread support, especially in the Senate. Some insiders say Congress could approve the bill and send it to Bush by March.
Still, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said, "I don't think this bill is going to fly through Congress the way everybody thinks."
Delegation sources say they will use several strategies to fight it. One will be pushing an alternative bill that directs the Justice Department to study illegal gambling nationwide, instead of banning legal betting in Nevada.
Berkley said she is "eternally optimistic" House members will embrace the alternative and scrap the NCAA-backed ban.
The betting ban died in Congress last year after passing both the House Judiciary and Senate Commerce committees.
Nevada's delegation also finds itself outnumbered in the fight against nuclear waste.
"My concern is that when George Bush gets his Cabinet in place, there will be nothing stopping them from beginning to ship nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain," Berkley said.
By contrast, Gibbons -- a Bush ally -- said the president would be deliberate and consider scientific evidence that Nevadans say disqualifies Yucca as a safe site.
The Energy Department in recent months has escalated the push to pass the 13-year-old, Congress-approved plan to bury the nation's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The DOE is expected later this year to seek an application to bury 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste at the site.
In the meantime, Congress could write a Yucca-related bill that establishes rules for the site, outlining a new project timetable or establishing safe radiation-release standards, for instance.
Wait and see
"We're going to have to see what George W. Bush is going to do," Reid said. Reid said he fears Republicans could push Yucca legislation early this year in the evenly split Senate.
Nevada Democrats fret that Yucca backers in Congress could try again to establish a temporary, above-ground storage area at the Nevada Test Site until Yucca is complete -- 2010 at the earliest.
Among the other issues in Congress this year that affect Nevada are:
* Judge confirmations. Nevada needs to fill two of seven full-time positions on the state's U.S. District Court bench. Ensign will nominate candidates. If Bush approves them, then the full Senate must confirm them. Ensign said he is eyeing a number of candidates, but won't say who. "Nobody is not on the list," he said.
* Appropriations (pork projects). Reid sits on the Appropriations Committee, which controls the Senate's purse strings. He takes pride in landing money for what critics call "pork," which Reid says are good projects for Nevada. This year, Reid hopes to funnel federal money to the state for a proposed Hoover Dam bypass bridge, more work on the Interstate 15 widening, Nevada Test Site projects, Lake Tahoe, alternative energy projects and Lake Mead. "It's the busiest entity in the National Park Service," Reid said of the man-made lake and recreation area. "It's underfunded and overutilized."
* Internet gambling. Several lawmakers, including Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., are again pushing a bill that would outlaw cyber casinos. The legislation failed in the last Congress after a close vote in the House. Some argue Internet gambling has spread too far to stop it or even regulate. Nevada's lawmakers and gaming-industry lobbyists support a ban, but casinos are studying the legislation. Many gaming executives quietly consider the Internet a viable new market.
* School construction. Congress again could consider legislation that offers fast-growing school districts no-interest loans for construction and repair. "We still build a school a month in Clark County," Berkley said. "We need that money."
* Mining. The mining industry has sued the Interior Department, which saddled it with new environmental regulations. Meanwhile, lawmakers who represent miners may try to reverse the rules with a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's mining laws.
* Helicopters and personal watercraft. Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah, new chairman of the House Resources Committee, last month sent an eight-page private letter to Bush that was obtained by the Washington Post. Hansen requested that Bush reverse a number of environmental policies. Among them is reconsidering minimum altitude rules and flight-free zones over the Grand Canyon. Las Vegas-based helicopter-tour operators say the rules restrict their business. Hansen also wants a proposed ban on personal watercraft such as Jet Skis discussed again. He believes some Clinton-backed policies were "arbitrary and hasty," a spokeswoman said.
Sun reporter Ed Koch contributed to this article.
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