Louisiana Committee Again Passes Slidell Casino Bill, and There’s Controversy Anew

The Louisiana Senate Judiciary Committee has, for a endorse time, backed statute law that would permit voters inwards St. Tammany Parish to determine if they want to legalise commercial gambling.

The Senate Judiciary type B Committee this calendar week voted 4-3 inward favor of House Bill 702. If the statute passes the Louisiana Legislature, parish voters in October would decree whether to ending a prohibition on commercial-grade play that has stood inwards St. Tammany since 1991.

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) wants to relocate its cassino permission from Bossier City to Slidell. The Los Angeles-based cassino operator for good unsympathetic its DiamondJacks Casino amid the pandemic.

P2E finds Slidell a more worthy gaming market, but needs parish residents to surface their arms to a casino. If the possible referendum would pass, P2E says it would build a to a greater extent than $250 zillion casino resort at the Lakeshore Marina, adjacent to the Blind Tiger restaurant.

Committee Chair Controversy

Opponents to bringing a cassino to Slidell voiced concerns regarding Sen. Gary Bessie Smith (D-Norco) chairing the Judiciary type B Committee. Smith’s wife, Katherine, is division of a lobbying travail inward the Baton Rouge capital working on behalf of P2E.

“I’m very concerned with your wife’s connectedness with the cassino people,” said Pear River resident Lisa Clayton. “I find it an honourable consideration. Many of us are interested almost your voting on this and your impartiality.”

With the Judiciary b Committee vote 3-3, Adam Smith plaster cast the tiebreaking voter turnout to passing HB 702. The longtime province political leader defended his voter turnout to Clayton.

My married woman was a lobbyist long before I met her,” Adam Smith explained. “I’ve been voting on gaming issues for the last 20 years, which considerably exceeds our time together.

“I’ve been a uniform vote for those 20 years on that. She has a part vocation that is divide from me. We donjon it professional,” he added.

Sen. Ronnie Johns (R-Lake Charles) also defended Smith.

“The fact that he was questioned most his wife’s profession is really offensive,” Jasper Johns opined. “If he had been against gaming end-to-end the physical process and changed his class of process inward the committee sense of hearing a few weeks ago, I’d say something’s changed. Nothing’s changed. He’s been very consistent.”

Second Time Around

Smith’s wife’s lobbying for the gaming license relocation was only revealed after the Senate Judiciary group B Committee number 1 voted on a St. Tammany Parish casino bill. The controversy afterward stalled that slice of legislation — Senate Bill 213 — in the Senate Finance Committee.

HB 702, nearly very(a) to SB 213, was introduced to force the Senate Judiciary B Committee to brushup the gambling casino publication below to a greater extent transparence and total disclosure. HB 702 at present moves to the Senate Finance Committee, where it is expected to take in a vote.

Louisiana Gov. Gospel According to John Bel Jonathan Edwards (D) has issued his sustenance for relocating P2E’s cassino permit from Bossier City to Slidell.

“It’s an ideal spot,” the governor said. “A lot of people are sledding to Mississippi [to gamble].”