Is relief in sight for Georgetown County and the Charleston County communities whose leaders don't see casino boats as an asset to their waterfronts? Yes, if a new bill by Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, makes it through the General Assembly.

The measure would beef up the state home rule law to empower counties and municipalities to ban gambling boats from docking in their waters.

Senate President Glenn McConnell, who for several years has barred bills to ban the boats statewide, sponsors Campsen's bill. Also on the sponsor list are Grand Strand Sens. Ray Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet, and Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach.

Conspicuously missing is Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach, whose district includes the Little River waterfront. There, two gambling boats regularly ferry gamblers to international waters for several hours of unregulated gaming - fun for them, but not good for the community or the state.

Elliott should consider backing Campsen's bill.

The measure would make clear that when local governments ban gambling board, their authority to do so derives from the state.

That's important because federal law allows gambling boats to dock in a coastal state as long as the state doesn't specifically say they can't.

The problem with current home rule law, as Georgetown County Council members can attest, is that it makes no specific mention of gambling boats. That's the basis on which a Greenville businessman wanting to conduct gambling cruises from Murrells Inlet won a Circuit Court judgment last year to overturn the council's 2002 boat ban. The council has appealed that ruling to the S.C. Supreme Court.

The big unknown is how the Senate views the issue. Because McConnell worries that a statewide ban could prevent cruise liners from calling at Charleston, senators have never voted on bills banning boats statewide. The House, however, has passed several bills to that effect so should have no problem with Campsen's bill.

If our state is to have casino gambling, it ought at least to be regulated for the honesty of the games and of the ownership. Casino gaming also should benefit the public via taxation and charity payments. The boats don't fit those specifications, which is why Campsen's bill would make good public policy.