DENVER—The Colorado Senate has refused to override Gov. Bill Ritter’s first veto of the session.
The Senate voted 19-17 on Tuesday against overriding Ritter’s rejection of a bill regarding the regulation of gambling.
Twenty-four votes were needed.
The measure (Senate Bill 50) easily passed both the House and Senate. It required that at least one member of the state’s gaming commission be a resident of Gilpin or Teller County, the only counties where limited gaming is permitted by the state.
Ritter, a Democrat, said that could create a conflict of interest or an appearance of one because people who own property in the counties could benefit from the decisions made by the panel.
Current law prevents any commission member or their family members from having an interest in any business related to gambling. They’re also barred from owning land in gaming communities, but the bill would have eliminated that ban.
Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Parker, said Ritter’s concerns were overstated and that the current prohibition against having a gambling business interest would protect against any conflicts. Commission members are named by the governor, and Scheffel said any member who violated the rules could be removed.
Even though the bill had wide support among both Democrats and Republicans, Democrats largely stuck together in voting against the veto and embarrassing Ritter. Three Democrats did vote with Republicans in favor of the veto: Senate President Peter Groff of Denver, Sen. Joyce Foster of Denver and Sen. Dan Gibbs of Silverthorne, whose district includes some casinos.
In 2007, Democratic and Republican lawmakers joined to override Ritter’s vetoes of spending instructions in the state budget, a long-running separation-of-powers battle between the Legislature and a succession of governors.
