Friday, September 21, 2012
County executives from Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties are advocating for a casino at National Harbor, adding table games and expanding casino hours around the state.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Friday, September 21, 2012
By Carl Straumsheim, Capital News Service Using Saturday's University of Maryland Terrapins football game as a metaphor, county executives Rushern Baker III, Ike Leggett and Ken Ulman on Thursday framed the referendum on expanding gambling in Maryland as a conflict between economic development and out-of-state interests. "Just like I want Maryland to beat West Virginia on Saturday in football, I want Maryland to beat back this out-of-state money in November," Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said. If passed, the referendum, which appears as Question 7 on the ballot, would allow a casino to open at National Harbor in Prince George's County -- the sixth casino in the state. It would also enable existing casinos to stay open around the clock…
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Prince George's County Executive is pleased with bill that he said will create jobs in his county and the state.
It took almost a week to get done but a bill that expands gambling in Maryland to table games and a possible casino in Prince George's County was worth the wait for County Executive Rushern Baker. "I feel good about where we're going," said Baker early Wednesday, moments after the Senate adopted a gaming bill amended late Tuesday night by the House of Delegates. "It puts us on the way to not only creating jobs in Prince George's County and the state of Maryland but also revenues for both the state and the county," Baker said. The bill goes to the voters on the Nov. 6 ballot. Baker said he expects "a robust fight."
Comptroller says the November referendum will not be about legalization of slots but "will be about the type of government Marylanders want, and the kind of state we wish to leave to our kids."
Comptroller Peter Franchot said expanded gaming legislation scheduled to be signed into law Wednesday won't generate the revenue state officials promise. "There never was a fiscal or an economic rationale for reconvening the Maryland General Assembly for its third special session in less than a year," said Franchot in a statement released Wednesday. "Any revenues that will be generated by a new casino in Prince George’s County will take several years to materialize and, if the past is any indication, have been drastically overestimated by gambling supporters and legislative analysts." Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign the bill into law after 10 a.m. Wednesday, just hours after the Senate passed a final version amended by the House …
Senate adopts gaming bill amended by the House but ends the session without bringing dog bite litigation bill to the floor for a vote.
Maryland voters can add expanded gaming to the list of referendum issues they'll be asked to vote on in November. The Senate early Wednesday morning voted 32-14 to accept a gaming bill amended hours earlier by the House of Delegates. But a bill meant to overturn a controversial Court of Appeals ruling that declared pit bulls an inherently dangerous dog breed failed after Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said the House gave senators a "take it or leave it" ultimatum. "The House said take our amendments or nothing and the two committees weren't able to work out an agreement," said Miller. The Senate was able to reach a separate peace on the gaming bill where senators quickly agreed to all of the amendments delegates put on the bill …
Monday, August 13, 2012
Del. Curt Anderson said he spent the weekend looking for "dirty tricks" in the Senate bill. "I found several," the city delegation chairman said.
Concerns about a Senate gaming bill will lead to nearly a half dozen amendments from Baltimore City delegates. "Did they think we weren't going to read the bill?" said Del. Curt Anderson, chairman of the Baltimore City delegation to the House of Delegates. Anderson made his comments during and after a one-hour meeting with city legislators on the version of the Senate bill that seeks to expand gambling in Maryland. Anderson said he spent the weekend reading the bill looking for "dirty tricks." "I found several," Anderson said. The Senate passed its bill Friday night and will not reconvene until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Any changes made by the House would have to be approved by the Senate. Five provisions of the Senate bill have caused concern among…
Friday, August 10, 2012
Focus shifts to the House on Monday where both bills will be debated and voted on.
Focus on legislation to expand gambling and overturn a controversial Court of Appeals ruling on pit bulls shifts to the House of Delegates. A House Ways and Means subcommittee will meet Saturday to discuss legislation that would open Maryland casinos to table games and could possibly legalize a sixth casino in Prince George's County if voters approve the law in a referendum vote in November. The Senate adopted four amendments to the bill including a $500 annual license fee per table game that would go to a gambling addiction fund and requiring that one member of the gaming commission come from a jurisdiction with a video lottery facility. A number of the 23 amendments rejected by the Senate involved earmarking parts of the money to roll …
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Governor says 56-page bill "will create predictability in the marketplace" while protecting local and city aid and giving Prince George's County the ability to decide if it wants a sixth slots venue in its county.
Gov. Martin O'Malley Monday night released the 56-page bill that will be the focus of a special session on expanded gambling in the state. Legislators will be asked to vote on legislation that could add a sixth casino, most likely at National Harbor in Prince George's County as well as legalize table games. “The legislation we are sending to the members of the General Assembly will create predictability in the marketplace, protect local and city aid being generated at existing sites, ensure authorized facilities are able to be built, and allow the people of Prince George’s County the opportunity to decide whether they want a sixth site for the benefit of their county and revenue base," O'Malley said in a statement released just before 9 p.…
Friday, July 27, 2012
O'Malley says session, which begins on August 9, will be about job creation and funding for schools.
UPDATED (2:57 p.m.)—Gov. Martin O'Malley Friday announced he will call the General Assembly back to Annapolis for a special session on the issues of gambling and the creation of a sixth casino. "This is an issue about jobs," O'Malley said. "This is an issue about maximizing revenues from gaming." A bill was not available at the time of the morning news conference. O'Malley said it needed tweaking and would likely be made public shortly before the beginning of the special session. O'Malley, House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller all said the bill would create about 2,500 jobs from the legalization of table games and generate $100 million for schools. Sen. E.J. Pipkin Friday afternoon blasted O'Malley for …
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Poll finds support for National Harbor casino.
The push to bring gambling and a $1 billion casino to Prince George’s County is under debate this week following testimony in Annapolis by the county executive. County Executive Rushern L. Baker is lobbying the Maryland State Budget and Taxation Committee to amend portions of a bill that could lead to the legalization of gambling and slots in the county. The amendments, among other items, would allow a $1 billion casino to be built at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill. “I believe that if gaming is expanded to Prince George’s County, it should be done by developing a high-end destination facility that will attract visitors, tourist and conferences...,” Baker said this week before the Maryland State Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. “I …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Rushern Baker says if gambling comes to county, it must be “world class.”
As a bill that would expand gambling in the state, particulary in Prince George’s County, works its way through the Maryland General Assembly, County Executive Rushern L. Baker said Thursday that he supports a $1 billion entertainment complex at National Harbor. “I have determined that if gaming comes to Prince George’s County, it must be a high-end facility. I believe we should develop a world-class destination facility that features gaming, live shows, dining, and lodging,” he said in a statement. “I envision a facility that attracts tourist, visitors, meetings and conventions from all over the world.” Baker’s comments come just days after the county council gave a thumbs-down vote to a proposed gambling bill in the General Assembly. …
jag
11:31 am on Sunday, September 23, 2012
No one is ramming anything down your throat. Chill out, vote against it if you hate the idea of people being able to make their own choices, and move on with your life. more ›