All Entries in the "Ed Worley" Category

Beshear’s gambling plan sent to unfriendly Senate committee

By Janet Patton – jpatton1@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear’s day-old proposal for slots at racetracks was shipped to an unfriendly Senate committee to wither on Wednesday and House Speaker Greg Stumbo said there is “no sentiment” for the bill in his chamber, either.

Stumbo promptly filed his own competing measure, which would spend tax revenue from slots on a massive school construction program. Beshear had proposed using $780 million from slots to help erase a $1.5 billion shortfall in the next two-year budget.

Senate Minority Floor Leader Ed Worley, the sponsor of Beshear’s expanded gambling proposal, made a slicing motion across his neck when asked about the prospect of his bill making it out of the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee, where the Senate’s Republican leaders sent it on Wednesday.

“Any bill that goes to A&R, normally that’s the writing on the wall,” said Worley, D-Richmond. Still, he noted that “there’s a long time between now and April and there’s a financial crisis here.”

Beshear’s budget proposal relies on $780 million from expanded gambling

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READ BESHEAR’S PREPARED REMARKS

By Beth Musgrave – bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Ignoring the advice of many leading lawmakers, Gov. Steve Beshear unveiled a two-year budget proposal on Tuesday that depends on $780 million in revenue from expanded gambling at racetracks.

The Democratic governor’s proposal was immediately stiff-armed in the House, where Speaker Greg Stumbo wants to use proceeds from slot machines at racetracks to replace outdated schools across the state.

“We obviously feel like the governor has his work cut out for him,” said Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg. “He’s built his budget on legislation that I assume he has been working on passing. And we wish him the best of luck in doing that.”

Stumbo, who has ordered a proposal to generate revenue by retooling the state’s tax code, said Beshear has not spoken to him or other House leaders about his gambling bill.

Beshear proposed no new taxes, relying instead on gambling revenue, two percent cuts to some agencies and large amounts of “alternative financing” to erase a more than $1.5 billion shortfall over the next two years.

Beshear would spare agencies that account for 80 percent of state spending from cuts, including: the state’s main funding formula for schools, State Police, Medicaid, mental health and mental retardation services, prosecutors, public defenders, mine permitting and a variety of other programs.

Some of those agencies would get significant spending boosts. For example, a projected $782 million jump in the cost of Medicaid — the government-run health insurance program for the poor and disabled — would gobble up all of the state’s portion of revenues from expanded gambling.

Democrats say tracks need gambling after Ohio vote

FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear and some of the state’s leading Democrats say Kentucky needs to pass legislation this winter to expand gambling or risk losing millions of dollars and jobs to Ohio.

Ohio voters on Tuesday passed legislation that would allow casinos in four cities, including Cincinnati.

“Clearly, the time to act on expanded gaming is now,” Beshear said Wednesday in a written statement.” Ohio citizens are going to reap the benefits of thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue. Ohio’s decision reinforces the urgency to pass the video lottery terminal bill I proposed earlier this year.”

But the state’s top Republican says the expansion of gambling in Ohio could doom any plans to allow video lottery terminals or slots at Kentucky race tracks because there may not be enough gambling business for both states.

Republicans propose constitutional amendements regarding gambling

Two key Senate Republicans said Tuesday they will file constitutional amendments regarding expanded gambling at Kentucky racetracks, but leading Democrats immediately dismissed the proposals.

One measure, backed by Republican Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown, would allow the public to decide whether video lottery terminals should be allowed at horse racetracks. Another, backed by Senate President David Williams, would ban such expansions of gambling without a constitutional amendment, which requires the public’s approval.

The plans met quick resistance from Democrats and the horse industry, who say a constitutional amendment that allows casino-style gambling could not be enacted in time to help the struggling industry.

Thayer’s proposal is “dead on arrival,” said Senate Minority Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond.

Thayer, who has worked as a consultant in the horse industry, presented his plan at the Tuesday meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, an industry trade group. Williams, a Burkesville Republican who has long been opposed to gambling, also announced his constitutional amendment at the meeting.

Senators may push for an amendment on racetrack gambling

FRANKFORT — Some high-ranking members of the Republican-led Senate may make a push in coming days for a constitutional amendment to allow casino gambling at Kentucky horse racetracks, according to a prominent Central Kentucky horseman who is a major Republican donor.

“It appears that Senate Republicans are beginning to feel the heat from their constituents,” Bill Farish, general manager of Lane’s End Farm in Woodford County, said in a letter sent to news media on Monday. “The word around Frankfort is that Senate leadership is preparing to offer up the old idea of putting forth a constitutional amendment to permit gaming at Kentucky race tracks.”

Ethics board admonishes Sen. Worley but dismisses complaint

By John Cheves – jcheves@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — The Legislative Ethics Commission admonished state Senate Democratic Leader Ed Worley of Richmond on Tuesday but ultimately dismissed a complaint that alleged he inappropriately used his power for personal benefit.

Worley is building a state courthouse annex that he plans to rent out for $409,356 a year, despite a general rule against legislators selling or leasing property to the state. The commission ruled unanimously that the deal is legal because Worley is leasing his court annex to Madison County, which will lease it to the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

“The law provides no penalty for the appearance of impropriety, but if it did, the respondent could well be penalized on the facts before us,” the commission wrote in its order. “In the future, the respondent must be more careful in conducting his private business in ways in which he might appear to be using his public office. He has assured the commission that he will.”

Outside the hearing room, Worley said the complaint was filed by his political opponents based on critical news coverage in the Herald-Leader.

“The perception was created by (the Herald-Leader),” said Worley, who owns construction and development companies. “We were totally comfortable that we had done nothing improper or unethical.”

Ethics panel investigating state Sen. Ed Worley

By John Cheves – jcheves@herald-leader.com

The Legislative Ethics Commission is investigating state Senate Democratic Leader Ed Worley’s deal to build a state courthouse annex that he plans to rent out for $409,356 a year.

Worley, of Richmond, confirmed the investigation on Friday and said he has given business records to the ethics commission. He said he does not know whether he will appear at Tuesday’s commission meeting in Frankfort, most of which will be closed to the public.

“We’ll provide whatever information that people want, and if we need to attend, we’ll attend,” said Worley, who owns construction and development companies.

Anthony Wilhoit, the ethics commission’s executive director, said he could not comment. The commission is appointed by the Senate president and House speaker.

Sen. Worley’s new building will house Madison family courts

By John Cheves – jcheves@herald-leader.com

RICHMOND — A company that is co-owned by state Sen. Ed Worley, D-Richmond, will get about $410,000 a year in rent from Kentucky taxpayers under a deal arranged by Madison County Judge-Executive Kent Clark, Worley’s friend and political ally.

Worley, who is the Senate Democratic leader and a private developer, spent $765,000 over two years buying up most of a downtown Richmond block full of 19th-century, Italianate-style buildings, which he demolished.

He’s now building a two-story, brick-veneer office building on the site to house Madison County’s family courts division.

Worley said his position in the General Assembly doesn’t make his development deal with the county and state court system a conflict of interest when he takes state money in his private life.

He said his development companies sometimes get work from local and state governments, including Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, all of which he has power over as a legislator who helps craft the state budget.

“We bid on projects all the time,” Worley said. “I’m not prohibited from building for or having relationships with the city or the county or the state if something is put out for a solicitation or a competitive bid.”