Sunday, June 21, 2009 5:56 pm

Rep. Brent Yonts - a balancing act that may not make any difference in slots bill

Rep. Melvin Henley voted against House Bill 2, the Governor's plan to put slots at Kentucky race tracks. Henley was fulfilling a pledge to local voters that he would not support the measure. And, he told us Friday evening, his constituents were contacting him "100 to 1 against it".
According to Henley, it may not matter.  He cited a Friday morning news report that said David Williams won't take up the bill. The Senate can substitute their own bill which will then go back to the House. Henley said the House will refuse it and then it will go to conference commitee "and then who knows what will happen".  He said he thinks he will come out okay on projects if the measure passes.
Rep. Brent Yonts voted for the slots bill. It was a balancing act, he said, for his district. There were more good things in it than bad.
Another Kentucky House Representative didn't see it that way. Rep. Mike Cherry of Princeton stood firm in his commitment to his voters to put the measure on the ballot for them to decide. He voted against the bill. Cherry said that the lengthy debate "didn't change a single vote".
One western Kentucky representative's vote got left out of media reports on Friday. 1st District Representative Steven Rudy's name was left off the vote count. The Democrats at the Purchase Area Jefferson Jackson Dinner were pretty sure he voted against the bill.