COLUMBIA - A bill that lets cities and counties ban or regulate casino boats passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 16-5 Tuesday after a contentious discussion.

Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, put up some of the most vigorous arguments against the bill and attached a minority report of opposition to it that means it can't be brought up without a special vote.

"We're passing a law to assist Georgetown in winning a lawsuit that they've already lost," Knotts said.

Georgetown County, which passed a ban on casino boats, was sued by a businessman who wants to operate out of Murrells Inlet. He won, and the county has appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The only boats currently operating are in Little River, but others have expressed interest in Murrells Inlet, Georgetown, Edisto Beach and other locations.

Federal law allows gambling cruises to nowhere unless a state bans them. What the bill intends to do is delegate the state's authority to ban the boats to cities and counties.

Knotts was one of several on the committee who doubt the federal law allows the state to delegate its authority to local governments, rather than imposing a statewide ban on the boats.

"That's a far stretch of the truth of the law," Knotts said.

Republican Sen. Jim Ritchie of Spartanburg agreed and said, "We are inviting a huge lawsuit out of this," and litigation will continue for years.

The bill requires the attorney general to defend local governments in lawsuits over their casino boat actions.

Knotts said his constituents should not have to help pay for lawsuits brought on by decisions made in other counties.

"I'm tired of seeing the coastal counties ripping off the rest of the state," Knotts said. He said coastal counties have repeatedly beaten back efforts to raise the sales tax and use the money to replace property taxes. The tourism areas are afraid the higher sales taxes will scare off tourists, but the rest of the state suffers for it, he said.

Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach, said he took exception to Knotts' remarks. "The coastal counties pay their fair share and a lot more," Elliott said.

Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, the bill's main sponsor, said, "It's about quality of life."

He said some communities have had the possibility of casino boat gambling forced on them by federal action and the state should help them.

A statewide ban has failed for years, and this is a reasonable approach, Campsen said.

"This is simply a home rule bill," said Sen. Ray Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet, who co-sponsors the bill with Campsen. "It doesn't outlaw it; it doesn't ban it."

"This does not appear to be a home rule situation to me," said Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville. The state doesn't let counties regulate or ban the lottery, he said.

Knotts and others also questioned the bill's exemption of passenger cruise ships. Most of them have gambling rooms. Previous attempts to ban the boats failed because Republican Sen. Glenn McConnell of Charleston did not want to interfere with their visits to his city.

"You're treating the big boys differently from the little guy," Knotts said.

Campsen said the cruise ships are different because gambling is not their sole purpose and they are not based in a coastal community where they can affect it by making gambling trips every day.

Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, is a frequent visitor to the casino boats in Little River and also argued against the bill. He said supporters of the bill know nothing about the operations.

"If you're going to put somebody out of business like we're proposing to do, at least know something about it," Ford said. "It's simply not fair for us to do these things."