Louisiana State Senator Hewitt delays Slidell casino vote, then faces off with casino opponents

Louisiana State Senator Hewitt delays Slidell casino vote, then faces off with casino opponents

Article brief provided by nola.com
  • Tyler Bridges, nola.com
May 4, 2021 9:49 AM
  • Tyler Bridges, nola.com

A controversial effort to put a casino in Slidell continued to stall before the Louisiana Senate on Monday, threatening the measure’s ultimate chances of passage.

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“Time is not on my side with this bill. Time is on your side,” state Sen. Sharon Hewitt told a group of casino opponents who faced off with her in the hallway after learning that her Senate Bill 213 would not be heard as scheduled by the Senate Finance Committee.

“This is a difficult decision for many people,” added Hewitt, R-Slidell. “I’m not sure we had the votes to pass it.”

Her measure would permit St. Tammany Parish voters to decide in October whether to reverse a 1996 parish-wide anti-gambling vote and allow the proposed casino in Slidell on Lake Pontchartrain.