Monday, the Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill 744 by a vote of 30 to 27 with two voting “Present.”
The Senate roll call follows. The roll call by state representatives and an explanation of the bill can be found here.
The Senate roll call is below:
Every legislator who lives in McHenry County voted against this massive expansion of gambling in Illinois. State Rep. Mark Beaubien, who lives in the Lake County part of Barrington Hills supported the bill. State Senator Dan Duffy, also from Southeast Lake County, voted against the bill.
When the slot machine, euphemistically call video poker machine bill was passed, not only Beaubien, but his Republican colleagues Mike Tryon and Pam Althoff voted, “Yes.”
Remember the fight at the County Board level?
Patriots United weighed in and won.
Jack Franks
Undoubtedly Althoff and Tryon were told of the tactics used by the social conservatives to marshal support for their position against slot machines in McHenry County.
While the two bills are not the same, they both were/are intended to expand gambling a lot. It seems significant that the county’s two Republicans were not voting “Yes” this time.
Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks voted against both bills and explained his position to a forum on video poker run by Patriots United.
This bills shows everything that is wrong with Illinois politics.
There is one legitimate need for gambling expansion in Illinois and that is slots at horse racetracks to increase purses because other states have done just that. Some horses that had been stabled in McHenry County have relocated to other states and more are considering doing so. Simple fix.
So rather than keep the bill simple, all kinds of other gambling expansion is added to it.
Why?
Is there an outcry from citizens asking for massive gambling expansion?
No.
Is revenue at existing casinos increasing?
No. It’s decreasing.
Is revenue in Las Vegas increasing?
No, it has massively decreased.
The reason is because the legislature’s solution to overspending and pension shortfalls is massive gambling expansion.
Madigan and Cullerton are Chicago residents and this bill puts the largest casino in Illinois in Chicago and adds gambling to O’Hare and Midway.