Ohio slots proposal fails

John McCarthy

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 | 9:26 a.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A slots-for-scholarships proposal, given up for dead by House Speaker Larry Householder, was revived briefly on Wednesday before backers gave up getting it before voters in March.

A new compromise would have used the first year's proceeds to retire a temporary sales tax increase, then split the pot for college scholarships and tax relief in later years. However, more votes were tough to find.

House proponents worked against a 5 p.m. deadline to pass the resolution authorizing the vote, getting the Senate to go along with the changes, and putting it in Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell's hands for certification. The resolution was in the form of a constitutional amendment, which must be filed with the secretary of state 90 days before the March 2 election.

The resolution would have placed video slot machines at Ohio's seven racetracks.

Rep. Bill Seitz, who managed the Senate-passed resolution in the House, was seen in the Statehouse rotunda about 4:30 p.m. talking to someone over a cell phone and to Rep. Diane Fessler at the same time.

When Householder called session together about 4:40 p.m., Seitz just shrugged as he took his seat. Householder than called for adjournment and the matter was over.

Seitz, racetrack lobbyists and other interests spent three days trying to find the 60 votes needed, but wound up with 40 Republicans and 16 Democrats, Householder said. He added he was impressed by the bipartisan nature of the tug-of-war.

"It's good to see the Democratic members and the Republican members working together. I sort of sat back and watched it," Householder said. "I might as well let them work. Maybe it will benefit us some other way down the road."

But Minority Leader Chris Redfern, a Democrat, disagreed with Householder, a Republican. Redfern said the Democrats had not heard a serious offer of compromise until about noon Wednesday.

"I wish we could have gotten something done," Redfern said. "Had House Republicans approached us sooner, I think we could have."