Casino-courses bill dies

Emily Wagster

Friday, Feb. 11, 2005 | 9:33 a.m.

JACKSON, Miss. -- By one vote, the House on Thursday killed a bill that would have let Mississippi universities and community colleges teach courses related to the casino industry.

The vote was 70-47, but 71 votes were needed for a three-fifths majority.

The bill was held on a motion that could allow more debate today.

Supporters of the proposal say most Mississippians who want high-paying jobs as casino managers or gambling-machine technicians have to go to Nevada or New Jersey for specialized training.

Bills to let Mississippi's public universities and community colleges teach casino-related courses have been proposed and killed for several years amid some lawmakers' concerns that the state shouldn't been seen as promoting gambling.

Rep. Rufus Straughter, D-Belzoni, said he's a church deacon, Sunday school leader and choir member, but he's tired of hearing people cite moral concerns about teaching people to repair slot machines or to manage casinos' day-to-day operations.

"I am simply appalled at the fact that there are things some of us are so sanctimonious about that we can't look at things as they really are," Straughter said. "I think it's time that we grew up."

New Orleans-based Tulane University has started offering courses on all aspects of casino management from accounting to marketing.

The Mississippi College Board decided last April to let the University of Southern Mississippi offer a bachelor's degree in tourism, with an emphasis in casino, resort and restaurant management. Two weeks later, Attorney General Jim Hood said he didn't think the board had the authority to offer the courses.

The casino-courses bill was one of several that legislators voted on Thursday, the deadline day for the House and Senate to pass or kill the first round of general bills for the 2005 session. The two chambers will exchange the surviving bills for more work.

There is a later deadline for money bills.