Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 20, 1991                   TAG: 9102200470
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: BILL BYRD LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

SENATE APPROVES RACING SIMULCASTS

The "simulcasting" bill was approved 22-10. It goes to the House, which passed an almost identical measure earlier this month. The House is expected to agree with the Senate version and send it to Gov. Douglas Wilder.

Virginians approved pari-mutuel betting on horse racing in a November 1988 referendum, but the drive for a track has foundered. Skittish investors have held off, arguing that off-track wagering and simulcasting are needed to ensure that a track would be profitable.

The horse industry floated two proposals to make track construction more attractive for an operator. One, which would have allowed off-track betting at up to six locations, was scrapped in the early days of the 1991 General Assembly as supporters conceded it was likely to be defeated.

The second proposal, simulcasting, would allow track operators to televise races from other states; patrons would bet on the televised races, as well as on those at the Virginia track. The bill stipulates that the number of televised races cannot exceed the number actually held at the track.

Struggling to complete its work before Saturday's scheduled adjournment, the Senate also approved a hotly debated bill that would allow Wilder to suspend temporarily state-ordered programs in localities that can prove they are in fiscal distress.

The bill, approved 22-14, does not apply to educational regulations. In all other cases, however, a locality would be able to petition the governor for exemptions to state mandates. These include a variety of law enforcement, social welfare and environmental programs.

Opponents claimed the bill would be a dangerous opening for the governor to usurp the powers of the legislature. "It's a giveaway, an erosion, a collapse of our authority," said Sen. Joseph Gartlan, D-Fairfax County. He said the state might come to resemble a "chicken pox" pattern of regulation, with some localities exempt and some forced to comply with mandates.

"All this does is allow the governor to abate for one year some of the mandates," countered Sen. Elliot Schewel, D-Lynchburg.

The bill now goes to the House. A Senate-House conference committee probably will be needed to resolve differences between the two chambers on the matter.

Keywords:
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