WASHINGTON -- As the House prepares to vote today on a bill to prohibit Internet gambling, a turf fight is threatening to scuttle the legislation.
Two House committee chairmen on Monday came out against the bill, which is set to be brought up under a fast-track process but will not pass unless it obtains a two-thirds majority.
One of the chairmen, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., of the House Resources Committee, sent a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., asking him to remove the bill from today's calendar.
"In its current form (the bill) poses a number of serious, unanswered questions concerning its intended and actual effect on Indian tribes that engage in legal gaming," Pombo said.
The bill by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, would outlaw the use of credit cards, checks, wire transfers or any other bank instrument to pay for bets on gambling Web sites.
In addition to Pombo, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, will "vigorously oppose" the bill on the House floor, committee spokesman Jeff Lungren said.
"In order to address the Internet gambling issue, the bill must include some type of criminal penalty," Lungren said. "This bill fails to do that. It is a regulatory approach with no teeth in it."
The original version of the Leach bill did include criminal provisions, which triggered jurisdiction by the Judiciary Committee. In a 16-15 vote on May 14, the Judiciary Committee passed an amendment by Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, which eliminated exemptions for the horse racing industry and other factions.
Angered by the Judiciary Committee's action, Rep. Mike Oxley, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, steered an abbreviated version of the Leach bill, including the exemptions, through his panel by voice vote less than a week later.
The abbreviated version of the Leach bill, which is scheduled to be voted on today, did not include provisions that would allow the Judiciary Committee to claim jurisdiction.
"Congressman Cannon is concerned that this is an attempt to sidestep the Judiciary Committee," Cannon spokeswoman Meghan Riding said. "He hopes to speak on the House floor Tuesday and vote against the bill."
Meanwhile, Oxley remains defiant.
"We think it's a good bill, and we think we have the votes to pass it," said Scott Duncan, a spokesman for the Financial Services Committee.
But opposition from Pombo and Sensenbrenner may make the legislation more difficult to pass.
House GOP leaders have called for a vote under a procedure that limits debate and prevents amendments. But bills called up under suspension must pass by a two-thirds majority.
When asked what the next step would be if the bill does not pass today, Leach spokeswoman Megan McCabe said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Jun-03-Tue-2003/business/21450872.html
Two House committee chairmen on Monday came out against the bill, which is set to be brought up under a fast-track process but will not pass unless it obtains a two-thirds majority.
One of the chairmen, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., of the House Resources Committee, sent a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., asking him to remove the bill from today's calendar.
"In its current form (the bill) poses a number of serious, unanswered questions concerning its intended and actual effect on Indian tribes that engage in legal gaming," Pombo said.
The bill by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, would outlaw the use of credit cards, checks, wire transfers or any other bank instrument to pay for bets on gambling Web sites.
In addition to Pombo, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, will "vigorously oppose" the bill on the House floor, committee spokesman Jeff Lungren said.
"In order to address the Internet gambling issue, the bill must include some type of criminal penalty," Lungren said. "This bill fails to do that. It is a regulatory approach with no teeth in it."
The original version of the Leach bill did include criminal provisions, which triggered jurisdiction by the Judiciary Committee. In a 16-15 vote on May 14, the Judiciary Committee passed an amendment by Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, which eliminated exemptions for the horse racing industry and other factions.
Angered by the Judiciary Committee's action, Rep. Mike Oxley, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, steered an abbreviated version of the Leach bill, including the exemptions, through his panel by voice vote less than a week later.
The abbreviated version of the Leach bill, which is scheduled to be voted on today, did not include provisions that would allow the Judiciary Committee to claim jurisdiction.
"Congressman Cannon is concerned that this is an attempt to sidestep the Judiciary Committee," Cannon spokeswoman Meghan Riding said. "He hopes to speak on the House floor Tuesday and vote against the bill."
Meanwhile, Oxley remains defiant.
"We think it's a good bill, and we think we have the votes to pass it," said Scott Duncan, a spokesman for the Financial Services Committee.
But opposition from Pombo and Sensenbrenner may make the legislation more difficult to pass.
House GOP leaders have called for a vote under a procedure that limits debate and prevents amendments. But bills called up under suspension must pass by a two-thirds majority.
When asked what the next step would be if the bill does not pass today, Leach spokeswoman Megan McCabe said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Jun-03-Tue-2003/business/21450872.html
