Neck and neck
<p>Rep. Vito Barbieri engages in the legislative process during a general floor session of the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Boise on Friday. The House State Affairs Committee heard testimony on SB 1011, a proposed bill to ban instant racing, during a hearing on the bill on Wednesday.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - The House State Affairs Committee concluded testimony concerning the controversial repeal of "instant horse racing" on Thursday, and scheduled a vote next week.
Reps. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens; Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d'Alene; and Don Cheatham, R-Post Falls, sit on that committee, and said the two days of testimony they heard was very compelling.
They will be voting on the issue on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
"You know I think there is a lot left to discuss on this issue," Sims told The Press Thursday afternoon. "All of the evidence was very compelling on both sides of the issue."
Sims said she is on the fence, however, and she is still willing to listen.
She said SB 1011 - which, if passed, would repeal a law that authorizes pari-mutuel betting on video machines that play historic horse races - is a very difficult issue because of the legal questions surrounding it.
"It mystifies me as to why the Legislature is even dealing with this," she said. "This is really an issue as to whether the machines are legal or not."
Cheatham, who said he is leaning toward not repealing the law, agreed with Sims.
He said the Post Falls Police Department is currently investigating the legality of the machines and Cheatham believes the Legislature should wait to see the outcome of that.
"What do we have to lose if we wait another month?" he asked. "These guys aren't going go out to buy hundreds of new machines in a month's time."
He said both proponents and the opponents of the bill are very passionate about the issue, but until he hears from experts on the legality of the machines he is uncomfortable with banning them.
He said Les Bois race track paid more than $900,000 in taxes to the state last year and $223,000 of that went to education.
"I don't think making a decision on this is the proper role of a legislator," he said. "I am not a subject matter expert, so how would I know if they are legal or not?"
Barbieri said he is going to wait to hear the final arguments next week before he decides how he is going to vote on the issue.
"But informally it looks like there may be a minority of the committee that votes no on the bill," Barbieri said.