Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo, left, and Senate President Therese Murray, right, said they're deferring to a legislative committee's work on a casinos bill still marked for debate in September.By KYLE CHENEY
and MATT MURPHY
BOSTON – After talks this year with Gov. Deval Patrick failed to produce an agreement on major expanded gambling legislation, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray said Monday they're deferring to a legislative committee's work on a bill still marked for debate in September.
Murray and DeLeo, after meeting with the governor in his State House office, said they agreed to debate gambling in September to give the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies more time to complete its review of more than two dozen gambling bills and craft an omnibus proposal. The committee is chaired by Rep. Joseph Wagner (D-Chicopee) and Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland).
“We felt that the committee should do their work over the summer, that it wasn’t quite baked yet,” said Murray. “They’ll probably take something from every one of those bills and they’ll put something out when we come back in September.”
DeLeo confirmed that he and Murray have yet to forge a deal with the governor on the issue.
“I think that what we’re stating right now is that although we are having discussions about it, the most important folks that are having discussions right now are the chairs of the committee,” he said. “They’re taking the legislation, which they have, trying to decipher the good and the bad of each of them.”
The comments from DeLeo and Murray show the leaders, who have privately tried to reach a gambling bill deal with Patrick for months, appear to be shifting the workload back to the committee. Expanded gambling critics have recently amplified their criticism of the high-level secret talks on gambling.
Spilka said the panel is soliciting input from lawmakers and outside stakeholders, such as the attorney general, and reviewing gambling bills. She anticipated the committee would recommend legislation “after Labor Day.”
Karen SpilkaSpilka said she expected the conversations between the governor, speaker and Senate president to continue, but said those talks have not directly affected the work at the committee level.” Clearly their discussion will keep going, but we will continue to be working on a bill,” she said.
Asked if she would prefer after watching gaming legislation collapse last summer to draft a bill she knew Patrick would support, Spilka said consensus is something legislative committee strives for on all issues.
“I think we’re all better off if we’re going to put something out to craft a bill that has consensus, so the more we listen to people and get feedback the better off we are,” Spilka said.
DeLeo acknowledged that the issue of slots at the state's current and former racetracks -- a sticking point during failed negotiations on the issue last year – continues to be an issue during this year's round of talks.
“I expressed an interest in negotiating on that, compromising on that,” he said.
Both leaders said they liked the framework of a bill introduced last session. That proposal would have sanctioned three openly bid and regionally dispersed casinos and two slot facilities at current and former racetracks, as well as established a regulatory structure to oversee the new industry. However, Murray and DeLeo noted that each branch saw an influx of new members that could lead to a different framework.
DeLeo left open the possibility that lawmakers would move on a bill without the express support of the governor.
“We did that last year,” he said.
Asked whether that was acceptable, Murray said, “This is going to the committee process. Talk to the committee members, ask them where they are on this.”
Wagner was not available for comment.
Murray also joined DeLeo in voicing support for a crackdown on illegal gambling facilities, which DeLeo filed last week. DeLeo said he was not sure how many so-called cyber cafes there are in Massachusetts but said they have sprung up “throughout the North Shore” and regulations have proven insufficient.
“We know that there are some social clubs that have been doing it,” said Murray, adding that “illegal gambling is illegal.”
Other members of the committee include: Sens. Thomas McGee (D-Lynn), Eileen Donoghue (D-Lowell), Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge), Brian Joyce (D-Milton), and Richard Ross (D-Wrentham), as well as Reps. Timothy Toomey (D-Cambridge), Thomas Petrolati (D-Ludlow), Robert Koczera (D-New Bedford), Christine Canavan (D-Brockton), Thomas Calter (D-Kingston), Stephen DiNatale (D-Fitchburg), Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester), Marcos Devers (D-Lawrence), Paul Brodeur (D-Melrose), Nick Collins (D-South Boston), Paul Frost (R-Auburn), Kevin Kuros (R-Uxbridge).