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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1986)
Tuesday, September 2, 1986/The Battaiion/Page 3 State and Local esSenate OKs pari-mutuel betting Approval from White would set up statewide referendum r AUSTIN (AF) — A bare Senate ■ority overrode last-minute oppo- litibn Monday to approve a bill that nld set up a statewide referen- ium on pari-mutuel betting on torse and dog racing. ■Hot dog, thank you,” said Sen. »."lke'' Harris, R-Dallas, who has Bn pushing pari-mutuel betting Be 1973. Tlarris' bill, which carried 21 House amendments, would provide lor a November 1987 statewide ref erendum. 11 that is approved, 251 of Texas’ 251 counties could hold local-option elections on whether to allow horse betting. The other three counties — Gal veston, Nueces and Cameron — could vote on betting on dog racing. The Senate vote, bv voice, sent the proposal to Gov. Mark White, who has not indicated whether he will sign the measure. Harris said, “I don’t know what his attitude is. I’m told, now, by f riends, that he is not against it. ” Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby said, however, “I would not be surprised if he (White) would veto the horse racing bill if there is no other result from this session.” ’I irry fiorsebreeders would win If pari-mutuel betting passes BRENHAM (AF tin i\ oncern in Washington 0 Hailey’s farm is 70 miles awav County, one of three regiot is in frum the closest possible site of a Texas where breeders have t iken Bee track, but he and dozens of advantage of good weather and ■her farmers in this scenic Ger- favorable terrain to locau ; in Ban community may be among numbers. Be big winners if parimutuel livi ng is approved. Brenham, along with N orth m specu ivv-lader hed then ionals do ■ a cup ol ir and (fit my round ease land. B O’Malley raises horses. ■ “The part that the state will gel fi m racing is negligible," said OMalley, a consulting engineet |who has six mares and a variety of arounger animals. "The important Brt is the money spent on stud les, construction, salaries, and Bconie for agri-businessmen.” I Horse breeding is already a ?d Hill Country, will 12 million in arms and re- if parimutuel wa- ering is established, said Andy >r the Texas Department of Agricul ture. Citing a report on horse rac ing. Welch said the off-track ef fects of racing would be stagger ing. More than 9,000 jobs would be created in industries as varied as ranching, transportation, build ing horse trailers and horse shoe ing. he said. The three prime breeding re gions already have a natural ad vantage from approval of a pari mutuel bill because the industry and support facilities are already in place, Washington County ex tension agent Bill Thane said. “As tight as dollars are nowa days, it's unlikely someone would start up from scratch just to be near a track." Thane said. Lottery vote ‘may be delayed’ I AUSTIN (AF) — A proposed Constitutional amendment that Irould allow Texans to decide ihether they wanted the state to operate a lottery game apparently lon’t get through the current ipecial session, its House sponsor laid Monday. I "We ran out of time,” said Rep. Ron Wilson, D-Houston. I The bill received final approval |iiday from the Senate on a 21-8 foie. | But Wilson said House rules would keep it from reaching the House floor before the special legislative session ends Thursday night. Wilson said he planned to quickly file the bill again if Gov. Mark White calls another special session. Top legislators Lt. Gov. Bill Hobbv and Speaker Gib Lewis said Monday that they expect While to call a second session. As passed bv the Senate, the bill would have let voters in No vember decide whether the Texas Constitution should be amended to pemrit the state to operate a lottery game. Backers said a lottery would generate an estimated $680 mil lion for state government by 1991. Opponents argued that the state of Texas would be sanction ing gambling if it started such a game. Twenty-two other states cur rently operate lotteries. Hobby himself has kept the bill a- live in the Senate by twice overruling points of error that pari-mutuel wa gering was not included on White’s agenda for the special legislative ses sion. White called the 30-day session Aug. 6 to deal with a projected state budget deficit of $3.5 billion. He joined Hobby in supporting a tax increase, a move the House has so far rejected. Asked if the Legislature would have approved horse racing if the state budget was not in trouble, Har ris said, "Oh no. I think it was a big factor. I sure do.” After two brief periods of pari mutuel betting, it was ended by the Legislature in 1937, and strong op position f rom churches have blocked its re-enactment. Already this year, religious lead ers have vowed to mobilize their forces again against track betting. On Monday, Sen. Craig Washing ton. D-Houston, tried to send the bill to a conference committee to make sine it contains “no tricks,” but his motion failed 1 1-15. Senate debate focused on what ef fect possible lawsuits could have, specificailv if the courts should de cide the Legislature could not rely on a referendum in approving legis lation. Harris said if voters reject pari mutuel betting in November 1987, “then you’re not going to have pari mutuel." However, he said, if they vote for it and the referendum is later held to be unconstitutional, local-option elections can proceed. Washington asked, “What if the referendum is stricken before No vember 1987 ... is the act nullified?” “That’s the way I read it,” Harris replied. Harris also said if a city, such as Austin, opposed betting but the is sue carried countywide at the local- option election, "a track could not go in at Austin” but could be placed in Travis County. The bill sent to the governor would establish a racing commission, which would charge application fees ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 for three types of racetracks. Class 1 tracks would be restricted to the larger counties. ■nts What’s up Tuesday AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: will hold a hot dog picnic at 6 p.m. at Olsen Park. All agricultu ral education majors are invited. For more information call Gail, 268-0772. SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB: will hold its first meeting of the year at 7 p.m. in 1 15 Kleberg. All interested students are invited. For more information call 845-4433. COMMODORE 128 SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP: anyone needing information or tutoring for Commodore personal computers is invited to join. For more information call Da vid, 845-8889. STUDENT GOVERNMENT: applications for election com missioner, internal communications chairman and fresh man programs now are being accepted in 221 Pavilion. For more information call 845-3051. Wednesday GREAT COMMISSION STUDENTS: (formerly A&M Chris tian Fellowship) will hold a fall kick-off rally with fun and refreshments at 7:30 p.m. in 102 Blocker. GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL: will sponsor a workshop for graduate students who are interested in starting or improving a graduate student organization in their department on Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon. The workshop is free and refreshments will be served. For more information call 845-2 15 1 or 845-1151. SAILING CLUB: will meet at 7 p.m. in 302 Rudder. A novice test will be given for new members. For more information call Fim, 696-8642. Items for What's Up should be submitted to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, no less than three days prior to de sired publication date. In Advance Rep. Joe Barton to debate challenger Geren at A&M Incumbent 6th District Rep. Joe Barton and Democratic chal lenger Pete Geren will debate Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in 301 Rudder Tower. The event, sponsored by the Memorial Student Center’s Politi cal Forum committee, will be the first face-to-face debate between the two congressional candidates. Derek Blakeley, program di rector for the debate, said the candidates will be allowed three minutes each to make opening and closing statements. They also will have three minutes to answer each question posed to them by a four-member panel of Texas A&M student leaders. Panelists include Mike Sims, student body president; Ross Nethery, state programs director for Political Forum; Chris Efird, president of A&M’s Young Dem ocrats; and Mike Hachtman, president of Aggie GOP. jast tably tide to sue slow to a us was le, clit. nt I he >le enjoy *ctthe heed I t it in | iorne e te ver > the Move Ahead With The Chronicle nts. 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