Did you even know that there was a special session of our Maryland State Legislature? Did you know we the residents took the hit for that special session for two issues: Pit Bulls and the Expansion of Casinos by opening one in Prince George's County.
Below is our Delegate Doyle Niemann's take on this issue, why and how he voted.
A Disappointing
Special Session
On Tuesday night, slightly before midnight,
the second special session this year of the Maryland General Assembly came to an
end. It was not one of our better moments.
This session was called for two purposes.
· First, to
correct problems created by a court decision that declared pit bulls to be
inherently dangerous. This meant landlords could be held liable for any harm
they cause. As a result, the owners of rental properties are facing loss of
insurance and pet owners may have to give up their dogs.
· Second,
to consider a proposal to expand gambling to include table games and a new
casino in Prince George's County.
No Action on Dogs
On the dog front, we failed to do anything.
The Senate passed a bill that abolished Maryland’s long-standing policy
requiring proof that a dog is dangerous before an owner or landlord can be held
liable for damages. The House passed a narrower bill. But in the craze over
gambling nothing was done to reconcile the two.
Concessions and Give-Aways on Gambling
On gambling, a poorly crafted bill passed by
the narrowest of margins. Because I believe it will cause lasting damage to
Maryland consumers and communities, I voted against it.
The problem the casino owners and their
supporters had was that they didn’t have the votes to pass their bill on its
merits. So they had to make big concessions and deals to get the 71 votes they
needed.
To appease existing casino owners, the
leaders in the House slashed the amount of money going to the state’s Education
Trust Fund, giving much more to the casino owners. For “Maryland Live!” in Anne
Arundel County, the share going to education was cut from 67% to 51%, with the
possibility of another 2% reduction in the future. For the proposed facility in
Baltimore, the share for education was cut from 67% to 54%, with the possibility
of a cut to 51% in the future. The casino owners get the rest.
But that was not enough. Casinos will now be
able to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The late hours won’t attract
many “recreational gamblers,” but they will make it easier for the desperate and
the addicted to lose their money. That’s a big dollar gain for the casinos but
a loss for Maryland families.
And still more, the casino owners will now
be allowed to keep 80% of the proceeds from unlimited table games. In 2017,
that would be $255 million to the owners but a credit of only $50 million for
education.
Adding It All Up: A Bad Deal
Adding it all together, with the increased
payouts to owners and the reduction in the share for education, the 24-hour
operation, and table games, in 2017, the Education Trust Fund will get less than
$40 million more from the expansion of gaming. The owners, on the other hand,
will get a whopping $435 million on top of what they already get. That is more
than double what they would have received if we had left things as they
are.
Looked at another way, under this bill,
Maryland families will be allowed (encouraged even) to lose more than half a
billion dollars ($577 million) in additional money at the casinos to gain the
Educational Trust Fund less than $40 million in new money.
I do not believe this makes economic or
social sense. That is why I voted against the bill.
Neighborhood Slots and More Questionable Deals
In one of the most disturbing deals to win
votes, a floor amendment was adopted that allows entities that declare
themselves to be “veterans” organizations to apply for up to five slot
machines. That will put gambling within reach of virtually every neighborhood
in the state (except for Montgomery County, whose leaders cynically exempted
themselves out).
In Prince George's County alone, 26 VFWs and
American Legions could qualify for five slot machines each. But the deluge of
slots isn’t likely to be so limited. Given the poor definitions in the bill,
the actual number of eligible organizations and slot machines could be many
times higher. (You can be sure that those looking for a quick buck will figure
out how to use this to their advantage.)
I led a floor fight on this amendment but
lost after the Speaker refused to allow a recorded vote. I believe this
proposal alone could result in the placement of thousands of slot machines in
neighborhoods around the state – with all the negative consequences that can
bring.
Local communities where casinos are located
get money under the bill. That is one of the stated reasons County Executive
Baker pushed so hard for a casino in our county. In our case, this could be as
much as $16 million. But to win a vote in committee, 40% of that money must go
just for infrastructure along Indian Head Highway.
To win some Baltimore votes, House leaders
also agreed to a provision that will make it harder to eliminate illegal slot
machines in bars, restaurants and other locations in Baltimore County and City.
This overturned a decision the legislature made in January. Its supporters
believe it will open the door to an expansion of neighborhood-based slots in
those areas.
How to Vote in November
The real damage caused by the bill, which
has now been signed into law by Governor O’Malley, does not come from the
addition of a Prince George's County casino, whether at National Harbor or
elsewhere. It comes from the changes in hours, the changes in formulas, the
addition of table games, and the expansion of non-casino slots into
neighborhoods. All of this is either in effect now or will go into effect if
the package is approved by voters statewide.
We face a dilemma. If Prince George's County
voters do not approve the bill in November, no casino will open here. This
opens the all-too-likely possibility that some of the casino interests will push
Prince George's voters to vote no, while encouraging state voters to vote yes.
For them, that would be the best of all worlds: they avoid competition but get
the benefit of all the concessions and giveaways.
As a county, we have been placed in a no-win
situation. We have lost the critical battle, which had to do with the expansion
of gambling on our borders. We must now think hard about whether to vote yes or
no in November.
Delegate Doyle Niemann
Maryland House of Delegates, District
47
