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Topeka — A lawmaker whose city is home to The Woodlands racetrack wants to link renewal of the Kansas Lottery with allowing slot machines in the state.

But legislative leaders hope to keep the issues separate and to pass a bill early in the session to renew the lottery, which is set to expire June 30, 2002.

"When the Legislature ends, the lottery train will be leaving town," Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, said. "I want my little caboose of slot machines attached to it."

Steineger said he has a bill to permit slot machines at pari-mutuel tracks if approved in a local vote. The tracks would include The Woodlands, the Kansas City, Kan., track where greyhounds and horses race.

"Allowing individuals to make their own decision on which form of entertainment they want is long overdue," he said.

The plan would generate $25 million a year and earmark it for technology training at high schools, vocational-technical schools and community colleges, Steineger said.

Steineger said riverboat casinos in Kansas City, Mo., have created a problem for his area. He estimated that Kansans contribute $51 million in taxes to Missouri from the boats.

The Kansas Lottery, created by voters by 1986, must be renewed periodically by the Legislature. Gov. Bill Graves and legislative leaders are pushing for early action.

While many lawmakers want to separate the lottery and slots issues, Steineger said a "medium-size group" of Democrats and moderate Republicans won't vote for renewing the lottery unless slots are part of it.

But not all moderate Republicans think such a link would be wise.

"I want to keep the lottery bill clean," Sen. David Adkins said. "To vote against the lottery in many instances is biting the hand that feeds you."

Adkins, R-Leawood, noted the state gets $60 million a year from the lottery and much of the money is used to finance economic development.

The House and Senate Federal and State Affairs committees plan to begin hearings next week on renewing the lottery.

"Adding slots is the best way to kill the lottery. If you bog it down with slots, it's dead," said Senate Federal and State Affairs Chairwoman Nancey Harrington, R-Goddard.

Steineger said if a clean lottery bill passes, he will push slots as a separate measure, even though such efforts in past sessions haven't gotten much traction.

But he said that in the past, lobbyists have written a bill and had it introduced near the end of a session, after priorities had been established.

Steineger said he's open to the idea of allowing each of the 105 counties to decide whether to allow slots, even if there is no pari-mutuel track.

"It would be like liquor by the drink. Let each county make its own decision," Steineger said.

www.kslottery.com