Bunkley sounds ‘alarm’ on gambling expansion

TALLAHASSEE (FBW) – As the Florida Legislature heads for its final week of the 2007 regular session, Florida Baptist Convention legislative consultant Bill Bunkley sent an urgent e-mail April 28 “sounding the alarm one last time for this session” warning “gambling will be expanded in your area if you do not act Monday morning” and requesting citizens to call legislators in the Florida House of Representatives urging opposition to pending pro-gambling legislation.

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Bunkley, a member of Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, sent the message after a series of pro-gambling bills easily passed Florida’s Senate and the House passed one pro-gambling bill, surprising the longtime Tallahassee pro-family activist. The House bill (HB 1047) permitting Broward pari-mutuel facilities with slot machines to cash checks to allow gamblers easier access to money to gamble, awaits final passage with a vote expected sometime Monday, April 30.

“If you agree with me that you would like Florida to continue to be a family-oriented, theme park, beautiful beaches vacation destination and not the best place to come to gamble, you should start acting now,” Bunkley implored in his e-mail alert.

Bunkley decried the action of unnamed “thought-to-be” social conservative House members who voted April 27 in favor of an amendment to HB 1047, even after one member in the debate told how casinos in Biloxi, Miss., widely advertise cashing payroll checks for 120 percent of face value in chips and tokens. The amendment narrowly passed 57-53 after failing on its first vote.

In comments to Florida Baptist Witness, Bunkley said, “Pro-family groups will be pouring over the vote sheets in order to identify and possibly change some votes before final passage, probably on Monday.”

On the Senate side last week, legislation expanding gambling in various ways easily passed. SB 2434 would permit video lottery terminals at every pari-mutuel facility throughout Florida. SB 752 would allow pari-mutuels with card rooms to hold poker tournaments and “Texas Hold ‘Em” poker games with no betting limits if the buy-in is less than $100, and to operate card rooms when live racing is not taking place, which is currently prohibited. SB 134 would permit gambling on domino games at pari-mutuels with card rooms.

SB 1038/SB 218, meanwhile, would permit the Broward pari-mutuels to stay open longer, add 500 machines, and allow for automatic teller machines and check-cashing machines. The House companion legislation is HB 1047.

“This is so slot machines in Broward County can make more money for the state of Florida,” Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, said in the debate, according to the Palm Beach Post.

According to Bunkley, Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon, “debated passionately” with Jones concerning the negative effects of expanded gambling, citing crime and addiction. Storms is a member of First Baptist Church in Brandon. (For more on Storms, see the April 5 Witness article, “Storms sees work in Senate having ‘eternal consequences.’”)

Bunkley told the Witness that prospects in the House for the video lottery terminals are not good because the legislation has not been heard by a committee, but companion bills for the other gambling measures are under active consideration in the House.

The prospective House action on gambling will give an “accurate picture of where many of these House Republicans really are on this key social issue,” Bunkley said, predicting, “We won’t be comforted with what we learn.”

Gov. Charlie Crist was noncommittal about the gambling legislation, according to the Palm Beach Post.

“It’s all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. It depends on whether or not they’re things that already exist. I think my approach to it is to see what passes and then have a chance to evaluate it,” Crist said, the Post reported.

Last summer in an interview with Florida Baptist Witness, Crist said, “I don’t think we should expand gambling,” in response to a question of whether there was too much, just enough, or too little gambling in Florida.

In other legislative action last week, Bunkley told the Witness the House passed HB 1497 on a vote of 71-42, a bill tightening definitions and procedures for Florida parental notification of abortion for minors statute. Sponsored by Rep. Anthony Traviesa, R-Tampa, the bill also includes a 24-hour waiting period requirement before any woman could have an abortion in Florida. On the floor, a provision was added requiring women to be shown an ultrasound image before an abortion can be performed.

The Senate companion legislation, SB 1602, is sponsored by Sen. Storms. The bill is more limited than the House version, and was passed on a vote of 7-4 by the Senate Judiciary Committee April 23.

Given the Senate’s less conservative make-up, Bunkley predicted it will be difficult for the legislation to get the Senate floor.

As for competing legislation to permit state funding of embryonic stem cell research and non-embryonic research, Bunkley said prospects are dim for either in the final week of the session.