Although the Legislature is currently not “in session,” many committees work throughout the summer and fall to tackle more difficult issues that often require substantial time and additional public input prior to any legislative action.
The Legislature will occasionally convene a “study commission” with a specific purpose and may include non-legislative members who have a great deal of knowledge or particular interest in that issue.
During the “off season,” I’ve had the opportunity to chair a special commission charged with looking at a host of issues regarding casinos and gaming in our state. We had more than a dozen new proposals during the legislative session, and it was clear to me and to many of my colleagues that it would be well worth the extra time to pull together a group to tackle these issues head on. The commission’s charge included the following:
- Examine the impact of existing casinos on local economies and the state economy overall and any impacts on other forms of legal gambling conducted within the state;
- Examine the impact of the establishment of casinos or similar facilities in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts and neighboring provinces in Canada on the state economy and on the revenue generated by existing casinos in the state;
- Gather information to determine the potential market for the establishment of new gambling opportunities in the state; and
- Consider the feasibility of the licensing of expanded gambling activities by persons or groups who are eligible for existing licenses to conduct games of chance, beano, high-stakes beano, harness horse racing and off-track betting, including but not limited to the operation of slot machines and table games.
While there were a number of issues we agreed to take on, the primary task was to review the research, hear expert opinions, and gather information about the question of expanding gaming, and what kind of impact expansion would have on our state and on existing gaming venues.
Membership on the commission included all the major players, including proponents and opponents of gaming, members of Native American tribes, representatives from the existing two casinos, Maine horsemen and four legislators.
Things did not go well.
While I certainly did not expect to have a unanimous report from such a diverse group of people, I did expect a level of discussion that would — at a minimum — allow the members of the commission to meet the objectives that were required of us.
That did not happen.
The real work of the commission was sidelined when a majority of the members on the commission simply decided to disregard the process, even before the commission had a chance to conduct any of the work that was assigned to us. And, instead, members of that majority put forward a proposal that satisfied each of their special interest groups and created a massive expansion of gaming.
No experts were called to testify. No data was collected. No research was discussed. It was a simple power grab on the part of a few self-serving individuals who were willing to undermine an entire process for their own personal gain.
That doesn’t work for me.
People who know me know I like to follow the rules. In fact, I have found that most Maine people think that way, too. But the commission established to help the Legislature get a firmer grasp on the gaming industry here in Maine decided, by majority vote, to ignore the rules.
The commission will no longer meet and there will be no report, for now.
That’s the bad news.
I’m simply not going to waste taxpayer dollars, staff time, and the time of the folks who were following the rules.
However, as I am a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, which is responsible for the gaming industry, I have already spoken to my Republican and Democratic colleagues and we are in agreement that the work still must be done and we will make the time this January to complete our assignment.
That’s the good news.
The gaming industry in Maine, whether you approve of gambling or not, is now an important revenue stream, employing nearly a thousand Mainers. It’s important that we get it right.
I am committed to doing just that.
John Patrick, D-Rumford, is chairman of theLabor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee and a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee.
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