Topeka — Wounded pride caused the House to reject a compromise bill to extend the Kansas Lottery's life. Frustrated negotiators quickly sent the same proposal back to both chambers.
The proposal faced opposition in the House because it lacked a House-backed provision to use $4 million in lottery revenues to subsidize airfares in Kansas. The House had added that plan to the lottery bill as an amendment, but the Senate didn't even debate the idea.
The House voted 63-60 Wednesday to reject the bill as drafted by a conference committee of three senators and three House members. That forced another conference committee meeting.
The House's vote frustrated the lead negotiators from both chambers, who had promised that any new agreement would not contain any substantial changes from the one the House rejected.
Had the House approved the compromise Wednesday, the bill would have gone to Gov. Bill Graves. The Senate had approved it, 31-9.
"I was shouting hallelujah, thinking I was through with the lottery," said Sen. Nancey Harrington, R-Goddard.
Rep. Doug Mays, R-Topeka, replied: "Me too."
The measure would keep the lottery in operation until July 1, 2008, or six years past the July 1, 2002, abolition date now in Kansas law.
Other provisions would ban unsolicited lottery advertising by phone or e-mail, prevent the lottery from operating interactive video terminals, and require a security audit of the agency at least once every three years.
The goal of House critics wasn't to force senators to concede on the airfare proposal. Instead, sponsoring Rep. Carlos Mayans said, the vote was about the Senate's failure to show enough respect to House members.
Mayans even said he would support the same conference committee proposal if it came up for a vote again. The Senate is expected to vote on it Thursday and the House on Monday.
"It's just a message, folks," Mayans said. "It's not the end of the world. The lottery will pass."
The conference committee did have to correct some small technical mistakes that negotiators had missed. Sen. Rip Gooch, D-Wichita, said the need for corrections showed that legislators were hurrying to pass the bill.
Mays said: "I'm in a hurry because I'm sick of this bill."
Rep. Rick Rehorn, D-Kansas City, another negotiator, said sarcastically, "Well, that's a good reason to rush this bill."
Mays replied: "We have worked this bill and worked it and worked it. It's time to move on."
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