PA Blog

Expanded Gambling – Backroom Business As Usual

Does it pass the smell test that the legislature would expand gambling in Pennsylvania while there is a grand jury investigation regarding the state’s handling of gambling licenses?

This update should be of interest to you whether you are for or against the expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania. On Jan. 5, 2010, the legislature met to fulfill the constitutional requirement to meet on the first Tuesday of the year. The activities of this year’s first session day were unlike any other in at least the last 30 years. A legislator, who has served for 30 years told me that during his service, the first day of session had never before been used to debate or move legislation.

The Christmas and New Year celebrations create a time when a lower percentage of citizens are watching their government’s activities through media outlets. The media outlets like other businesses are also operating with reduced staff during the holidays. These factors create a window of time when the media is less likely to expose – and the public is less likely to notice – backroom deals and political shenanigans of politicians.

At approximately 2:03 p.m., the House rejected Senate Bill 711 as it had been amended by the Senate. Due to the non-concurrence vote on SB 711, a conference committee was created and conferees were appointed by the Speaker to represent the House in the conference committee process at 3:07 p.m.

House Rule 48 reads: “The conferees shall confine themselves to the differences which exist between the House and Senate.”

The law also requires that the conference committee meeting be announced so that the public is able to monitor the proceedings.

Even before the conferees met for the very first time, what would be adopted as the final draft of an amendment to SB 711 was already produced by the Legislative Reference Bureau at 4:19 p.m. The House rules require the conferees to limit their discussions to the differences between the House and the Senate on the legislation which the conference committee has been formed to address.

The conference committee, which was comprised of three legislators from the House and three from the Senate, met at 4:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. they voted on the conference committee report, a 230-page amendment to SB 711.

The law requires that the meeting to discuss the differences be open to the public and announced so that the public can monitor negotiations. The public was deprived of this right because the negotiations occurred behind closed doors rather than in the open. Before the first meeting of the committee even took place, the deal was struck. Negotiations were made in the dark rather than in the light for the public to see.

The spirit, the intent of the rules and the law were violated to expand gambling in SB 71

During debate I stated the following:

“But, Mr. Speaker, this whole process on this very short timeline yesterday of less than three hours from the time that we non-concurred to the time that the conference committee adjourned and produced an amendment of 230 pages, this timeline does not lend itself to transparency in government, does not lend itself to integrity in government, and does not lend itself to restoring the trust that the people would like to have in their government but which they very clearly have not had in this body, in this legislature, for several years now, Mr. Speaker.

“Mr. Speaker, this process shows that business is occurring just as usual here once again in Harrisburg.”

I will continue the fight in Harrisburg for transparency and to protect taxpayers.