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Gov. Patrick: Casino bill iffy in 2010

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Thursday, 15 July 2010

Gov. Patrick: Casino bill iffy in 2010 By STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE July 14, 2010 BOSTON — Urging agreement on a casino bill among legislative negotiators who have showed little progress in closing significant gaps, Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday reminded lawmakers of his opposition to racetrack slot machines. "I'm not sure there is going to be a bill" this year, Patrick said. The governor said the differences between himself and House Speaker Robert DeLeo on slots may be too great to overcome. Related Stories Patrick said he wanted fewer messages passed through "carrier pigeons," and more communication with DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray. The governor has said he wanted to be heavily involved in casino talks to make sure a bill would come to his desk that he could sign. Patrick told reporters, "I think there's a compromise in here that I could support that offers some kind of support for traditional racing. I don't exactly know what that is, but my position on slots at the tracks isn't changing." The House bill calls for two resort-style casinos and allows slots at each of the state's four racetracks. The Senate bill calls for three resort-style casinos. Both Suffolk Downs and Plainridge Racecourse have signaled interest in bidding for full-blown casinos. Under the House plan, those tracks and the state's former dog tracks, Wonderland and Raynham-Taunton, would be guaranteed up to 750 slot machines apiece. Suffolk and Wonderland, in neighboring Revere and East Boston, share a joint venture. Patrick and Murray have signaled stiff opposition to the House-backed guarantee of slot machines for racetracks. Voters in 2008 chose to ban dog racing. Murray declined comment on the issue yesterday. Asked yesterday about a sop for Raynham-Taunton, Patrick replied, "There's been some talk about, again if there are destination resort casinos, that the employment "» first dibs would go to people who used to work at the tracks, and, you know, I get that, I understand that, and that may help." After DeLeo last week stepped up his insistence on slot machines at the tracks, which he called vital to job preservation and $100 million annually in immediate local aid, Patrick called on lawmakers to "dial down the rhetoric," a device he used again yesterday. Patrick said he was unsure whether a final agreement could be reached, saying there were "a lot of messages being sent through what someone described as carrier pigeons "» I think there has to be conversation directly with the principals." "We're not going to get a bill without a compromise between the House and the Senate, and there isn't going to be a compromise until both sides start to engage with each other and dial down some of the rhetoric," Patrick said yesterday, during a visit to the News Service office that spilled into the hallway, an unusual visit for the governor to the fourth-floor press row. "Everybody's clear about their position, but getting a bill is going to require some compromise," he said. DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said Monday, "Any bill that comes out, as far as I'm concerned, out of conference committee should have a slots component." Asked during an appearance on NECN whether the House conferees would sign off on a bill without racinos, DeLeo replied, "I'll never say never, because I think that's part of the conference committee and what they should be doing, but I would say it's a very important aspect of the bill I want to see there." The governor said the clogged legislative pipeline, backed up behind gambling, argued for "talking to each other, instead of about each other." "I am concerned that so much important work has been left to the end of the session. We've got a lot of stuff backed up," Patrick said, referring to criminal justice policy changes, economic development proposals, and efforts to ease health care costs for small businesses. With the July 31 close of formal sessions approaching, the prospect of a finalized expanded gambling law, once deemed a near certainty, has clouded. While Patrick, Murray and DeLeo — the so-called Big 3 of state government — all want casinos, the notion of slot machines, mechanics for regulating the industry's startup, and treatment of tribal nations seeking gambling rights remain tripping points. "There are a lot of different conversations, there are a lot of moving parts, so I don't want to harden over any particular part," Patrick said yesterday. http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100714/NEWS/7140322

 

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