From the Statehouse 2007 No. 25
by Jennifer Garrison
Oct. 18, 2007
FROM THE STATEHOUSE- OCTOBER 19, 2007
They are games with seemingly fun and innocent names such as “Tic Tac Fruit” and “Nudgemaster.” Governor Strickland, though, saw those video slot machines as something different. He saw them as illegal gambling.
Thousands of those machines found their ways into bar, restaurants and storefronts all across Ohio. The legality of these machines depended on whether they were game of skill (which are legal in the state) or games of chance (which are illegal).
A budget bill amendment in 2003 created a loophole that machine manufacturers are using to bring an estimated 50,000 slot machines into the state and portray them as legal amusement devices.
The governor authorized Attorney General Marc Dann to implement an administrative rule defining an illegal gambling device as any machine that paid cash awards or prizes worth more than $10. A few weeks later, he turned to the legislature to help.
On Wednesday, October 10, an amendment was attached to Substitute House Bill 177, cutting off prize payoff money to $10 as a mechanism to effectively ban these slot machines. It was a response to expanded gaming that voters repeatedly have said they don’t want in Ohio.
The vehicle used to handle this gambling issue was a bill that allows an individual to own more than one horse racing facility in Ohio. The aim of the bill is to receive benefits from economies of scale.
The final piece of legislation basically codified the rules supported by Governor Strickland and Attorney General Dann. The House, with my “yes” vote, overwhelmingly passed the amendment to limit video gaming, and then solidly passed the bill.
We also passed four other bills of interest to our constituents, all with my “yes” vote. House Bill 41 requires security systems companies to be licensed by the Director of Commerce and requires their technicians, salespersons or operators to register with the Director. This legislation also creates the seven-person Security Systems Advisory Board and adopts rules governing the licensing activities. The bill exempts electricians from licensing requirements, as they already have two licenses.
Substitute House Bill 155 creates a Domestic Relations-Juvenile–Probate Division of the Champaign County Court of Common Pleas and designates the Probate and Juvenile Judge as a judge of that division. The bill also adds a judge to that division.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 asks Congress to enact legislation to extend the Lewis and Clark Expedition Trail east to Monticello, Virginia. Meriwether Lewis stopped in Marietta and Cincinnati on his way down the Ohio River to meet William Clark and begin the expedition. Therefore, if the legislation is passed out of Congress, the trail would extend from Marietta to Cincinnati. This designation will increase and promote heritage tourism and education, both benefiting general fund revenues for these areas of our state.
And in keeping with the heritage theme, we also passed Senate Bill 40, which designates October as “German Heritage Month” in Ohio.
You can reach Jennifer Garrison at her Columbus office at 614-644-8728 or in the district at 740-373-2414 or by e-mail at jennifer@jennifergarrison.com. Her website is Riffe Center | 77 South High Street | Columbus Ohio 43215-6111 | (800) 282-0253 | District93@ohr.state.oh.us
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