Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Top of the Senate’s agenda today: gambling

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Per the SenPrez’s office, the two amendments first up for debate this morning are:

#43, Bruce Tarr’s proposal to allow slot machines at the racetracks.  As far as I can tell, this is strictly a “racino” proposal, except that it would also allow slots at Logan airport [FAIL 6-31]; and

#155, Marc Pacheco’s proposal to override the will of the voters by giving dog racing two more years of life. [FAIL 8-29]

Let ’em hear it.

UPDATE: Boy, they have spent an enormous amount of time on #43, the racino/slot parlor proposal.  A couple of hours already, and no end in sight.  Surely there are other things to talk about — it’s not as though gambling won’t get a fair hearing down the road.

FURTHER UPDATE: At last, the roll call, at 12:19 pm.  So far, mostly “no” votes.  I think I heard only four “yes” votes, though a few likely yes votes were out of the room.  But it’s not going to pass.  Final tally: amendment #43 fails 6-31.  Now onto the proposal to extend dog racing by 2 years.

FURTHER UPDATE: Roll call on the extension on the dog tracks.  Not looking good … Kennedy, Knapik, Menard, and Pacheco vote yes.  Those are the only yes votes I’ve heard.  Joyce, McGee, Morrissey and Hart have late-voted yes.  Still not enough.  Final: 8-29.

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  1. Just watched a few minutes of the Senate webcast of it’s debate about allowing slots.  Sen Tucker was eloquent in her argument against the measure and did a good job of challenging assertions about how much revenue this would bring.  Sen Brown followed up with a far more muddled presentation where he seemed to be trying to throw anything and everything he could come up with to advocate for the slots, including the random claim that allowing them would protect open space.  He closed his presentation with an impassioned plea that, with slot machines, we could “crush Rhode Island and Connecticut.”  Strange.

      • really want to be that much closer to the Evil Empire, as annexing Connecticut would entail?

        <

        p>As it is, I’ve always wondered how it is that CT hasn’t annexed the snaggletooth in an otherwise straight border from Colonial Park to the NY line.

        • is turn CT into sort of a “demilitarized zone,” rather like the one separating North and South Korea.  

      • Once those two states fall, the road to New York will be open and the Empire State shall be ours!

  2. Pacheco says that if he doesn’t get the 2-year extension, he will be presenting a home rule petition from Raynham that would keep the Raynham-Taunton dog track open.  And he is asking for others to defer to what the locals want.  Hard to imagine that this will work in this case, but I guess we’ll find out down the road.

  3. …and I got this response from Timothy Greene, Moore’s Director of Constituent Relations:

    <

    p>

    Thanks for taking the time to email Senator Moore with your concerns. Senator Moore feels that the public has made their  opinion very clear with the results of the ballot question and therefore he will not support the amendment to extend the deadline to 2012.

    <

    p>Who else made contact, and what kind of response have you gotten?

  4. gambling bills and amendments are out there?

    <

    p>These two can’t be the ‘serious’ ones if they were batted down so easily. I doubt this is the last we’ll be hearing of slots this year.  

    • One of the big arguments against this amendment is that there is more comprehensive legislation pending in various committees.  It will be back.

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