Oct 16, 2004 4 min read

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Neither party in the state House of Representatives appears in much of a hurry to take up a bill to revise the three-month-old gambling law, but Democratic and Republican leaders have different reasons for their reluctance. The measure would bar lawmakers from owning a stake in gambling-related businesses, expand the attorney general’s enforcement powers over a new gambling commission, and strip the commission of its authority to override local zoning ordinances, except in Philadelphia. It passed the Senate on Oct. 7.

Although the House will be in session from Monday through Wednesday next week, Republican leaders are proceeding carefully to build a consensus for the bill and to make sure any technical problems are identified and corrected, said Steve Miskin, spokesman for Majority Leader Sam Smith, R-Jefferson.

“We have been working with the Senate to make some technical corrections, but also we have to officially firm up with our own caucuses what they want to do,” Miskin said.

Both chambers have until Nov. 30 to pass an amended bill and send it to Gov. Ed Rendell. The Democratic governor supports some elements of the proposal – such as a requirement for the gambling commission to comply with open-meetings laws – but has reservations about others, such as the zoning provision, his spokeswoman said.

“He’s said that if we’re going to reopen the gambling bill, we need to work with the four caucuses. It shouldn’t be an amendment out of one caucus that is forced on the other three,” said press secretary Kate Philips.

Discussions on revamping the gambling law originally stemmed from public outrage over a provision that allowed public officials to own up to 1 percent of a financial stake in a gambling company.

The Senate changes were crafted to dispel the perception that lawmakers sought to benefit financially from the legalization of slot-machine gambling, among other things. The House also changed its internal rules earlier this month to impose an ownership ban on its members, and both measures provide exceptions for mutual funds, blind trusts and pensions.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader H. William DeWeese said House action on the bill “could wait until hell froze over.” DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, said that while Democrats support the ownership ban for public officials, they view other changes as attempts to delay the law’s implementation.

Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, the only senator to vote against the changes, contends an error in the Senate bill is flawed and will prevent public officials from investing in a wide array of mutual funds and pension plans.

In a memo released Thursday, Fumo’s legal counsel noted that the exception language only applies to licensed gambling operators, meaning that mutual fund investments linked to other types of gambling businesses would be forbidden.

Erik Arneson, chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill of Lebanon County, said staffers were reviewing Fumo’s memo.

“Our initial analysis is that the senator is correct, and we thank him very much for bringing this to our attention,” Arneson said.

Smith doesn’t want lawmakers who oppose legalizing slot machines to seize the opportunity to reopen the larger gambling debate. But Rep. Paul Clymer, who tried to block the gambling legislation, said he and other opponents would focus on refining the Senate bill instead.

The House State Government Committee, which Clymer heads, is scheduled to consider the bill on Monday.

“You can never make a bad bill better, but I guess under these circumstances you would be able to do that,” said Clymer, R-Bucks.

DeWeese believes amending the state’s Ethics Act, rather than reopening the gambling law, is the best way to address the ownership issue.

“The whole process reeks of partisan sniping,” he said.

“The Senate leadership chieftains are intent on putting a stick in the spokes of the wheel of the Rendell administration.”