LOTTERY CONTRACT UNCONSTITUTIONAL! - AG KANE

[Pryderi]

Kane rejects Pa. lottery contract, citing constitutional grounds

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane rejected the state's contract with a British firm to manage the $3.5 billion Pennsylvania Lottery, saying it "contravenes the constitution."

Kane, speaking at a press conference, said among other things the contract "usurps the power of the Gaming Control Board's to regulate expanded gaming."

Camelot Global Services' bid to take over lottery management from state employees expired Saturday.

The rejection by Kane, the newly sworn-in Democrat, represents the first parry in what is likely to be a tense relationship with the Republican governor.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/Kane-nixes-lottery-contract.html

[appleannie1]

1. She is awesome. So glad I voted for her.

[Mnemosyne]

2. My thoughts exactly! Go Kathleen! I am anticipating the day she nails governor gasshole!

I will dance in the streets; well, in the road anyway, for that one!

[JPZenger]

3. Other states hired these types of firms to be consultants, not to actually control everything

the way this was handled by Corbett didn't pass the smell test. No one should be able to give away control of a very valuable state asset for over 20 years without any action by the Legislature, and with only one short token hearing.

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Giant smile!

Step one in a long list of steps. This is very good news. I hope that her argument on this is not easily torn apart...because you know that Corbett will be furious and out to get her on this.

But she did get to it before the Saturday deadline. Just know what they would have wanted. I am so grateful that we have some pressure on Corbett now! He had a free ride for too long.

[MadrasT]

5. Nice.

[mrmpa]

6. Smack down #1 to Corbett...........

Now would privatizing the State Stores "usurp the power of the Liquor Control Board to regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages"?

[JPZenger]

7. Kane insists legal conclusions were made by long-time career government attorneys, not politics

From the article on www.philly.com

"Kane cited three reasons for rejecting the contract, among them that it usurped the legislature's authority to make decisions on the lottery's management and operations. She also said that by allowing the lottery to add electronic games such as keno, the contract would exceed what is authorized by the state Lottery Act and preempt the Gaming Control Board's authority.

In an online statement about the decision, Kane said the review had been conducted by lawyers on her staff with "many years of experience reviewing commonwealth contracts for 'form and legality.' It should be noted that these attorneys worked for the governor when he was attorney general, as well as several attorneys general before him."

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I'm not an attorney, but this deal never passed the smell test. How could you make such a huge change for 20 years without any action by the State Legislature???

[durablend]

8. Simple, actually

Gov Corbett thought the voters annointed him as the King of Pennsylvania and he's (trying to) doing whatever he wants.