William Bryan: “earlier today, the Senator from Kansas, Mr. Brownback, took to the floor and argued on behalf of a piece of legislation…”

“earlier today, the Senator from Kansas, Mr. Brownback, took to the floor and argued on behalf of a piece of legislation that would affect only my State and affect it in a very profound and negative way. The ostensible purpose of the legislation I think all of us can agree upon. I wish to put the discussion in context as I see it. We are talking about the illegal wagering on college sports, particularly wagering by underage college students, including student athletes. I think there is no disagreement that there is a serious problem and one that we recognize ought to be addressed in a very serious way. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) testified before the Commerce Committee, as they did before the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), that there are illegal student bookies on virtually every college campus in the country, including some individuals with links to organized crime. I do not disagree with that assessment. The matter is so serious that some students have actually been threatened with bodily harm to collect gambling debts owed to illegal student bookies.”