Keck proposes using sports betting revenue for school safety
Keck proposes using sports betting revenue for school safety
By BRUCE SCHREINER
April 7, 2023 GMT
FILE - Somerset, Ky., Mayor Alan Keck responds to a question from the moderator during the Kentucky Gubernatorial GOP Primary Debate in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Keck has proposed a new purpose for tax revenue collected from sports wagering in Kentucky, saying the bulk of the money should be used to bolster school safety. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, Pool, File)
FILE - Somerset, Ky., Mayor Alan Keck responds to a question from the moderator during the Kentucky Gubernatorial GOP Primary Debate in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Keck has proposed a new purpose for tax revenue collected from sports wagering in Kentucky, saying the bulk of the money should be used to bolster school safety. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, Pool, File)
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) Republican gubernatorial candidate Alan Keck has proposed a new purpose for tax revenue collected from sports wagering in Kentucky, saying the bulk of the money should be used to bolster school safety.
Keck, the mayor of Somerset in southern Kentucky, offered his plan Thursday for redirecting future sports betting revenues into school safety initiatives a week after a bill to legalize sports betting
signed the bill
after it reached his desk.
There is simply nothing more important than ensuring that our kids, our teachers and our administrators get home safe every day, Keck said while unveiling his plan on social media.
Last month, a former student shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee,
. The massacre at The Covenant School was the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country thats grown increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
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Republican state Sen. Max Wise, the running mate of another GOP Kentucky gubernatorial candidate, Kelly Craft, has been at the forefront of legislative efforts to bolster school safety.
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Kentuckys sports wagering law is estimated to generate about $23 million a year in revenue, though some supporters predict higher amounts. Under the law, most revenue will go to the state public pension system. Keck wants to redirect most of that tax money to school safety.
Keck also proposed policies to encourage military veterans to serve as school resource officers.
Twelve candidates are competing for the Republican nomination for governor in the May primary. Beshear is seeking reelection, in a campaign drawing national attention to see if the popular incumbent can overcome his partys struggles in the GOP-trending state.
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Friday, April 7, 2023 at 3:22 pm