Massachusetts Lawmakers Enter Final Week Of Gambling Negotiations

Lawmakers in Massachusetts now have their backs against the wall. After battling through several weeks with no compromise on gambling legislation, lawmakers are down to their final week of negotiations.

On Saturday, the legislative session will end and an opportunity will be lost. Gambling expansion has been at the forefront of this session, and if legislators fail to deliver a bill by the weekend, it will be a major blow to the state budget and Governor Duval Patrick's legislative agenda.

Patrick has been pushing for casino resorts since before he took office. His first attempt failed last year, but this year, new House Speaker Robert DeLeo supported gambling expansion. With Senate President Therese Murray on board, the three went to work convincing other lawmakers that casino resorts would be beneficial to Massachusetts.

The House produced the first gambling bill, and much to the chagrin of Patrick, the bill included slots for state racetracks. The governor hinted that if slots were included in any final bill, he may veto the legislation.

The Senate then produced their version, and it left slots for the tracks out. Once the two bills were complete, a select group of lawmakers started negotiating terms of a joint bill. To date, the negotiations have produced nothing outside of frustration.

The governor has routinely said that the Senate and House must work out their differences and come up with legislation before the end of the session. On Sunday, Patrick returned from a trip to Afghanistan, and reiterated his belief that there is still enough time for a compromise to be worked out.

On Monday, Murray will attempt to close the gap between the two bills. The Senate president has called a 4PM meeting for the lead negotiators in the gambling talks. Before that meeting, Murray, Patrick, and DeLeo will spend an hour meeting and coming up with a plan to move forward with the new law.

July 27, 2010
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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