Text of Amendment 18

Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Colorado:

Article XVIII of the constitution of the state of Colorado is amended by the ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION, to wit:

SECTION 11. LIMITED GAMING - Trinidad. (1) Declarations.
(a) THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, AT THE NOVEMBER, 1992, GENERAL ELECTION, THE ELECTORATE OF THE CITY OF TRINIDAD AND ITS COUNTY VOTED IN FAVOR OF A PROPOSAL TO ALLOW A FUTURE LOCAL VOTE TO PERMIT LIMITED GAMING IN THE CITY OF TRINIDAD.
(b) IT IS FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE VOTERS STATEWIDE DECISIVELY FAVORED A PROPOSAL AT THAT SAME ELECTION TO REQUIRE LOCAL VOTER APPROVAL AS A CONDITION FOR ANY FUTURE EXPANSION OF LIMITED GAMING.
(c) IT IS FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT, DUE TO THE PERSISTENCE OF DEPRESSED ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN TRINIDAD, THE CITIZENS OF TRINIDAD SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DIVERSIFY THEIR LOCAL ECONOMY THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW INDUSTRIES AS THEY DEEM APPROPRIATE, WHICH INDUSTRIES MAY INCLUDE LIMITED GAMING AS CONDUCTED ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE.
(d) IT IS FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE CITY OF TRINIDAD POSSESSES A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS LOCATED WITHIN THE CORAZON DE TRINIDAD NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT WHICH ARE IN DANGER OF IMMINENT LOSS TO POSTERITY UNLESS SUFFICIENT ECONOMIC RESOURCES ARE SOON AVAILABLE TO RESTORE AND PRESERVE THEM.

(2) Authorization - Limited gaming - Trinidad. ANY PROVISIONS OF SECTION 2 OF THIS ARTICLE XVIII OR ANY OTHER PROVISIONS OF THIS CONSTITUTION TO THE CONTRARY NOTWITHSTANDING, EFFECTIVE TWO HUNDRED AND TEN DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION AT WHICH THIS SECTION IS APPROVED BY THE VOTERS LIMITED GAMING SHALL BE AUTHORIZED, SUBJECT TO LOCAL VOTER APPROVAL AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 9 OF THIS ARTICLE, WITHIN THE CITY OF TRINIDAD. SUCH LIMITED GAMING SHALL BE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 9 OF THIS ARTICLE EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION. THE PROVISIONS OF SAID SECTION 9 ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE.
(3) THE ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATION OF THIS SECTION, EXCEPT FOR THE PROVISIONS OF SUBSECTION (4) (a) AND SUBSECTION (4) (b) OF THIS SECTION 11, SHALL BE UNDER THE LIMITED GAMING CONTROL COMMISSION CREATED PURSUANT TO SECTION 9 OF THIS ARTICLE.
(4) (a) LIMITED GAMING UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONFINED TO THE COMMERCIAL AREAS WITHIN BOUNDARIES COTERMINOUS WITH THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CORAZON DE TRINIDAD NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT WHEN SAID DISTRICT WAS LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES ON FEBRUARY 28, 1973. THE LOCATIONS WITHIN SAID BOUNDARIES WHERE LIMITED GAMING MAY BE CONDUCTED SHALL BE FURTHER RESTRICTED AS SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH (b) OF THIS SUBSECTION (4).
(b) LIMITED GAMING SHALL BE FURTHER RESTRICTED TO COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS WHICH HAVE EXISTED SINCE PRIOR TO WORLD WAR I AND TO RECONSTRUCTIONS OF COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS WHICH HAD EXISTED PRIOR TO WORLD WAR I. ANY SUCH BUILDING SHALL CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF APPLICABLE CITY ORDINANCES AND ZONING REGULATIONS OF THE CITY OF TRINIDAD. EACH BUILDING SHALL REFLECT ITS ORIGINAL ARCHITECTURE AS DETERMINED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF TRINIDAD OR AS DETERMINED BY ANY MUNICIPAL AGENCY AS THE GOVERNING BODY MAY AUTHORIZE.

(5) Local Vote - Trinidad. LIMITED GAMING UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE SUBJECT TO A LOCAL VOTE HELD IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION (9) (6) OF THIS ARTICLE, AND THAT THE FIRST ELECTION FOR THE CITY OF TRINIDAD HELD PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION (9) (6) SHALL OCCUR WITHIN ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION AT WHICH THIS SECTION IS APPROVED BY THE VOTERS.
(6) (a) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL ENACT, AMEND, OR REPEAL LAWS AS ARE NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THIS SECTION WITHIN THIRTY DAYS AFTER LOCAL VOTER APPROVAL BY THE ELECTION HELD IN THE CITY OF TRINIDAD PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (5) OF THIS SECTION.
(b) IF ANY PROVISION OF THIS SECTION 11 IS HELD INVALID, THE REMAINDER OF SAID SECTION SHALL REMAIN UNIMPAIRED. THIS SECTION 11 IS SELF-EXECUTING.

Section 9 (5) (b) of article XVIII of the state constitution is amended to read:
Section 9. Limited gaming permitted. (5) (b) (I)From moneys in the limited gaming fund, the state treasurer is hereby authorized to pay all ongoing expenses of the commission and any other state agency, related to the administration of this section 9 AND OF SECTION 11 OF THIS ARTICLE. Such payment shall be made upon proper presentation of a voucher prepared by the commission in accordance with statutes governing payments of liabilities incurred on behalf of the state. Such payment shall not be conditioned on any appropriation by the general assembly.
(II) At the end of each state fiscal year, the state treasurer shall distribute the balance remaining in the limited gaming fund, except for an amount equal to all expenses of the administration of this section 9 AND OF SECTION 11 OF THIS ARTICLE for the preceding two-month period, according to the following guidelines: fifty percent shall be transferred to the state general fund or such other fund as the general assembly shall provide; twenty-eight percent shall be transferred to the state historical fund, which fund is hereby created in the state treasury; twelve percent shall be distributed to the governing bodies of THE COUNTIES OF Gilpin,county and Teller,county AND LAS ANIMAS in proporation to the revenues generate in each county; the remaining ten percent shall be distributed to the governing bodies of the cities of: the City of Central, the City of Black Hawk,and the City of Cripple Creek, AND THE CITY OF TRINIDAD in proporation to the gaming revenues generated in each respective city.
(III) Of the moneys in the state historical fund, from which the state treasurer shall also make annual distributions, twenty percent shall be used for the preservation and restoration of the cities of: the City of Central, the City of Black Hawk, andthe City of Cripple Creek, AND THE CITY OF TRINIDAD, and such moneys shall be distributed, to the governing bodies of the respective cities, according to the proportion of the gaming revenues generated in each respective city. The remaining eighty percent in the state historical fund shall be used for the historic preservation and restoration of historical sites and municipalities throughout the state in a manner to be determined by the general assembly.

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