Governor Pawlenty is counting on a new Twin Cities casino to help balance the state budget. But Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch is now challenging the governor's plan, saying it may be unconstitutional.
The governor says the attorney general is just playing politics with the issue.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Kris Eiden says that?s not the case, ?The casino proposed in this bill is not authorized by the constitution.?
Tim Pawlenty's plan for Minnesota and northern Indian tribes to jointly run an urban casino was always controversial. Now the advisory ruling from the state attorney general says it's also unconstitutional.
The attorney general believes neither voters nor legislators had casinos in mind when they amended the constitution to allow a state lottery 17 years ago.
Eiden says casino games are very different than the lottery, ?Clearly craps, roulette, and slot machines were not ever intended to be covered by this exception.?
The opinion of the AG?s office takes on a different tone when that same attorney general is a possible DFL challenger to the republican governor.
Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum says the AG?s opinion is pure politics, ?It's very, very simple what's happening here, DFL candidate for governor, the supposed number one candidate for governor, trying to undermine the governor's budget.?
Eiden says Sviggum is missing the point, ?I think the speaker conveniently ignored our responsibilities under the law.?
If the casino legislation passes, is challenged and is actually found to be unconstitutional, one of the options left for the governor would be another constitutional amendment.
(Copyright 2005 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
