COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's Senate president suggested Tuesday putting a slots issue on the November ballot in a compromise to end the state budget gridlock over the governor's proposal to legalize the machines at horse tracks.
In a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland, Republican Bill Harris said that a committee he convened has found that the success of the governor's proposal is already dependent on the outcome of the election.
The disagreement over gambling has stalled budget negotiations, which had otherwise made progress on big ticket items, including more than $2 billion in cuts.
Harris and Strickland sit on the front lines of the budget impasse that has forced lawmakers to pass consecutive weeklong temporary budgets while they try closing a $3.2 billion gap in the roughly $54 billion spending plan.
Strickland has said that the Senate criticized his plan while refusing to put forth an alternative to raise the estimated $933 million that would come from slots.
Voters are expected to decide a separate proposal to legalize casino gambling in four cities at the polls in the fall, and a race track executive testified Friday that it is unlikely construction of any new video slots facilities would begin until the results are known. Strickland's budget plan calls for using the first proceeds from slots in December.
Harris' letter notes that Strickland, a Democrat, expanded the lottery once before - adding the bingo-style Keno game - without legislative approval or the legal authority he now seeks. He also outlined a number of concerns about Strickland's plan, including the fact it would choose some private interests over others and will almost certainly prompt a lawsuit.
But he said the two men, who have been stuck in a high-profile stalemate since June, have many beliefs in common - including being united against tax increases and placing a priority on funding education.
"I would even venture to say that our views about relying on expanded gambling to help close our budget gap are truly not that far apart," Harris wrote.
Strickland has said the added protections are now necessary because slot machines are not a ticketed game like those allowed under law. He scheduled an early afternoon news conference to discuss the letter.
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