By Tony Batt
lasvegas.com Gaming Wire
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., doesn’t want to have to choose between two of his pet issues--campaign finance reform and legislation to ban college sports gambling at Nevada casinos.
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, confirmed late Thursday he may offer the NCAA-backed betting ban as an amendment when the Senate begins a two-week debate on campaign finance reform next week.
McCain is the chief sponsor of the campaign finance bill and is fighting to keep it uncluttered. He said he will object if Brownback offers the NCAA bill as an amendment to campaign finance reform.
"I’m willing to accept some amendments but not that," McCain said. "(Amendments) have to be relevant to campaign finance reform."
McCain said he did not know Brownback was contemplating such a move. The two senators were the leading sponsors of the NCAA bill last year and are expected to assume the same roles this year.
Brownback was eyeing the campaign finance bill even before a report Thursday by the congressional watchdog group Public Citizen, which charged the Nevada casino industry killed the NCAA bill last year with huge soft money contributions to congressional leaders.
"I'm very concerned about the report’s findings," Brownback said. "I haven’t made a final decision, but I am thinking about introducing the (NCAA) bill as an amendment to campaign finance reform."
If Brownback follows through, he could force McCain to vote against the NCAA bill even though he supports it.
Neither Brownback nor McCain were aware of plans by Reps. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Tim Roemer, D-Ind., to drop their version of the NCAA bill on next Tuesday.
The senators said they support Graham and Roemer and do not care if the House bill is introduced first.
"This is a good time to do it with March Madness going on," said Brownback, referring to the ongoing NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
On April 2, Brownback will attend a news conference in Minneapolis, where the tournament's championship game will be played, to support the college sports betting ban.
So far, there are two co-sponsors on the pending Graham-Roemer bill — legendary former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, now a freshman Republican in the House and Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.
In an interesting twist, Osborne also is listed as one of 36 co-sponsors to a bill offered Feb. 14 by Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. The Nevada alternative calls for a two-year study of illegal gambling and a Justice Department task force to enforce gambling laws.
"Basically, the congressman wants to take care of the legal loophole (allowing college sports betting in Nevada) and investigate illegal gambling on college campuses," said Kelly Sokol, Osborne’s press secretary. "As a coach, some of his ugliest experiences occurred when somebody lost a bet."
Rep. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., is another lawmaker who plans to support both the NCAA bill and the Nevada alternative. "He thinks both bills are consistent," said Hutchinson spokesman Christian Brill.
One big difference is the Nevada bill does not include a ban on college sports betting.
Even though some lawmakers plan to co-sponsor both bills, that does not mean the Nevada bill has soft support, according to Gibbons spokesman Robert Uithoven.
"At least, this gives us the encouragement that they have looked at our bill and liked it and are willing to hear both sides," Uithoven said. "We believe the facts are on our side, and as the debate continues, we think we can convince members that our bill is the only one that will have an impact on the problem of illegal gambling."