Vigo County casino bill to get first hearing February 1

Holcomb is “aware of everything that’s working through” the legislature, she said, “but he’s very focused on the five issues that are part of his legislative agenda, the Tribune Star reported. 

Wilson declined to elaborate on any views Holcomb may have about SB 354, which would allow Full House Resorts to open an auxiliary casino in Terre Haute by moving unused gaming positions from its Rising Star Casino and Resort in Rising Sun.
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Jon Ford, R-Terre Haute, said he is not concerned about the statement from the governor’s office, calling it “standard operating procedure.”

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With nearly 600 bills pending in the Senate and almost 700 in the House, the governor won’t comment unless it’s part of his agenda, said Ford

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He believes prospects for the bill are good but said, “I couldn’t put a percentage on it,” noting it is still early in a legislative session scheduled to run until April.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday before the Senate Public Policy Committee, but no vote will be taken at that time, said committee Chairman Ron Alting, R-Lafayette.

“We don’t know how much support there is. That’s why you have a hearing,” he said. “We’ll listen to both sides and then rest on it and then take it from there.”

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Atling said he does not know what the will of the committee or of the Republican caucus is or what the impact might be on other casinos or the state’s two racinos at Anderson and Shelbyville

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“Overall, I am a big advocate of the casino industry. I’ve carried bills to promote and assist our casinos for 19 years,” he said. “But you know it’s a fine line on are you gaining something by doing something for one and then it hurts another? We need to always think and be a head of the game and we haven’t always done that in Indiana.”

Mayor Duke Bennett, who supports the bill, is not concerned about the governor’s statement, “especially on something as specific as this. My guess is he hasn’t even looked at those detailed bills.”

Matt Bergbower, associate professor of political science at Indiana State University, said Holcomb’s non-committal stance is similar to the approach former Gov. Mike Pence often took.

“He would have a narrow agenda or no agenda at all and when legislation passed he would speak out,” Bergower said. “I don’t think the governor is interested in fighting a gambling issue right now. It would be a case of not only why not Terre Haute but why not all the other places that don’t have casinos?”

Ford is the right sponsor for the bill, given the Republican super majority in the legislature, he said. “But it’s not a slam dunk. Sen. Ford will need to do some internal lobbying. There is a role to play in not just writing the legislation but also in shepherding it through the chambers.”

Terre Haute residents with strong feelings about the bill, either in support or opposition, should also let their feelings be known in Indianapolis, Bergbower said.