Lobbyist Updates Lawrenceburg Council On Gaming Legislation

The city's Statehouse lobbyist says two pieces of casino-related legislation are favorable for Lawrenceburg.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The City of Lawrenceburg’s Statehouse lobbyist provided an update to the common council at the halfway mark of the 2019 Indiana legislative session.

Casino gaming legislation was the main focus of 1816 inc.’s Matthew Whetstone’s presentation to council members Monday. Senate Bill 66 and Senate Bill 552 each passed the state Senate last week.

He touched first on SB 66, dubbed a “Gary Revitalization Act.” The bill would allow two riverboat casinos in Gary to relocate. One casino would be allowed to relocate to a more convenience location near the interstate on the city’s south side, as opposed to its current home on Lake Michigan.

SB 66 would also require the new owner of a Gary casino to enter a local development agreement with the city.

Lawrenceburg’s LDA agreement with Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg funnels millions into the city coffers each year. So Whetstone views the provision of SB 66 as a good sing for Lawrenceburg.

“So where we’re always worried that (legislators) might come and try and crack into (the LDA) somehow, in Senate Bill 66 they are going the other way and mandating it still today,” explained Whetstone, a former state lawmaker from Brownsburg.

Whetstone mentioned State Senator Chip Perfect (R-Lawrenceburg) is focused on local development agreements in the gaming bill.

“That’s what we watch for – a break in that dam to make sure we are protected and make sure going forward we have what we need,” said Whetstone.

Regarding SB 552, he said it encompasses everything from sports wagering to relocating the other Gary casino to Terre Haute, a 60,000-resident city in western Indiana without a nearby casino.

Asked by Mayor Kelly Mollaun about the provision allowing all Indiana casino operators to compete for ownership of the Terre Haute casino, Whetstone said ownership of Rising Star Casino in Rising Sun have expressed interest in obtaining the Vigo County license.

“The two bills kind of handle differently the question of who can move to Terre Haute. Is it the person that owns the license in Gary, or somebody who wants to come in and bid?” posed Whetstone.

The final version of the Terre Haute legislation will be worked out in coming weeks, as SB 552 currently resides in the House of Representatives.

Whetstone also shared with council about bills dealing with non-casino topics. Regarding the next two-year state budget, House Bill 1001 passed the House on a party-line vote in the GOP-controlled Senate.

One piece of legislation which “snuck out” of the House mandating housing studies by completed 30 days before voting on a housing-related ordinance would create a burden for counties and municipalities.

Another bill would expand what municipalities can do in regards to establishing tax increment financing, or TIF, districts, he said.

Whetstone says lawmakers have been busy through the first half of the session, but he doesn’t believe a special session will be required to catch up on key legislation, as was the case in 2018.

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