ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WUSA) - Maryland lawmakers worked into the wee hours before the Maryland General Assembly passed a measure to allow a new casino in Prince George's County and table games if voters approve of it.
The House of Delegates didn't vote until just before midnight. The vote was 71 to 58, where a majority of 71 votes were needed. The Senate voted around 1 a.m. Governor Martin O'Malley signed the bill into the law around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
If voters approve of the bill in November, here's what it would do:
- greenlight a sixth casino to be built in National Harbor
- allow table games with live dealers at all state casinos
- cut tax rates on slots at all current casinos, except Rocky Gap
The last item is a key part of the bill, designed to offset the economic impact that the sixth casino could have on other casinos.
Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker issued the following statement about the passage of the bill on Wednesday:
"This morning, the Maryland General Assembly empowered the voters of Maryland and, specifically, Prince George's County, to weigh in on a major economic development opportunity for the State and the County. I want to thank the Maryland General Assembly Members, Speaker Busch and Senate President Miller for appropriately handling a very difficult and complex issue. I applaud the leadership of Governor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and congratulate them on drafting a good bill that was workable and allowed the Members of the General Assembly to amend and approve this referendum.
The passage of this bill enables the voters of the State and County to have the final say on this important issue. It is important because the expansion of gaming into Prince George's County is about the thousands of new jobs, millions of dollars in revenue to the state and County, and growing the travel and tourism industry in Prince George's County. I believe this expansion will be good for the County and good for the State.
I am confident that the people of Prince George's County and the State of Maryland will make the right decision."
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot also released a statement:
"The passage of legislation that will pave the way for a Las Vegas-style casino in Prince George's County, while offering lucrative tax cuts and other critical concessions to casino operators throughout the state, illustrates the tightening control that the national gambling industry now exerts over Maryland's political process.
There never was a fiscal or an economic rationale for reconvening the Maryland General Assembly for its third special session in less than a year. Any revenues that will be generated by a new casino in Prince George's County will take several years to materialize and, if the past is any indication, have been drastically overestimated by gambling supporters and legislative analysts.
Furthermore, any modest revenues that will result from this new MGM casino will be offset to a large extent by the deep tax cuts that have been awarded by the legislature to MGM's in-state competitors. Finally, lawmakers have been duly warned that it would be grossly premature to break ground on a sixth gambling casino without knowing if the marketplace could even support the ones we already have. Despite the limited reward and abundant risks of acting in undue haste, the General Assembly chose to move forward.
While the events of the past few days have been extremely profitable for the national gambling industry, they have been calamitous to those who still value open, transparent and progressive government. The irregular nature of this session provided no meaningful forum for members of the public to attend public hearings, express their opinions and ask hard questions. It denied citizens the chance to review "real-time" campaign finance reports and draw their own conclusions. The final product - tax cuts of 25 percent or more for casino operators, from the same legislature that has repeatedly raised taxes, fees and tolls on small businesses and middle class families - is the most regressive act of public policy that I have seen in 25 years in public life.
In less than three months, voters in Prince George's County and throughout Maryland will vote to ratify or reject this proposal. Ultimately, this referendum will not be about whether Marylanders approve of slot machines and support their legalization. That matter has been decided. Rather, this will be about the type of government Marylanders want, and the kind of state we wish to leave to our kids. This is a question of whether we will allow the national gambling industry to control our political process from the backrooms of Annapolis, or whether we will take a stand for open, transparent and progressive government - one that is actually committed to getting Maryland's fiscal house in order and reviving our troubled economy the right way. This will be a fight for Maryland's future, and it's one I look forward to joining."
MGM Resorts also stressed job creation and funding in its statement:
"The result of this Special Session puts Maryland on the path toward job creation and better funding for schools. We thank Governor O'Malley, President Miller and Speaker Busch for their leadership through this complex process and for ultimately allowing the people to decide the future of their state.
MGM Resorts wants to be a part of this community. We are fully prepared to compete for that opportunity. As we enter this referendum phase, we look forward to meeting more Marylanders to detail our Company's vision for a destination resort at National Harbor. It will be a showcase, of which Prince George's County and all of Maryland will be proud. We're confident after residents carefully weigh the issue they will vote in November to bring new investment, new jobs and new revenues to the state."
Here's how members of the House of Delegates voted on the bill (66 Democrats and 5 Republicans voted yes; 36 Republicans and 22 Democrats voted no):
Democrats for:
Anderson, Curtis, Baltimore
Arora, Sam, Montgomery
Barnes, Benjamin, Prince George's
Barve, Kumar, Montgomery
Busch, Michael, Anne Arundel
Bohanan, John, St. Mary's
Branch, Talmadge, Baltimore
Bromwell, Eric, Baltimore County
Cardin, Jon, Baltimore County
Clagett, Galen, Frederick
Clippinger, Luke, Baltimore
Conaway, Frank, Baltimore
Conway, Norman, Wicomico
Cullison, Bonnie, Montgomery
Davis, Dereck, Prince George's
DeBoy, Steven, Baltimore County
Donoghue, John, Washington
Dumais, Kathleen, Montgomery
Feldman, Brian, Montgomery
Frick, C. William, Montgomery
Frush, Barbara, Prince George's
Gaines, Tawanna, Prince George's
Glenn, Cheryl, Baltimore
Guzzone, Guy, Howard
Haynes, Keith, Baltimore
Healey, Anne, Prince George's
Hixson, Sheila, Montgomery
Howard, Carolyn, Prince George's
Hubbard, James, Prince George's
Ivey, Jolene, Prince George's
Jameson, Sally, Charles
Jones, Adrienne, Baltimore County
Kaiser, Anne, Montgomery
Kelly, Kevin, Allegany
Kramer, Benjamin, Montgomery
Lafferty, Stephen, Baltimore County
Love, Mary Ann, Anne Arundel
Luedtke, Eric, Montgomery
Malone, James, Baltimore County
McHale, Brian, Baltimore
McIntosh, Maggie, Baltimore
Minnick, Joseph, Baltimore County
Nathan-Pulliam, Shirley, Baltimore County
Oaks, Nathaniel, Baltimore
Olszewski, John, Baltimore County
Pendergrass, Shane, Howard
Reznik, Kirill, Montgomery
Robinson, Barbara, Baltimore
Rosenberg, Sandy, Baltimore
Ross, Justin, Prince George's
Rudolph, David, Cecil
Stein, Dana, Baltimore County
Stukes, Melvin, Baltimore,
Summers, Michael, Prince George's
Tarrant, Shawn, Baltimore
Turner, Frank, Howard
Turner, Veronica, Prince George's
Valderrama, Kris, Prince George's
Valentino-Smith, Geraldine, Prince George's
Vallario, Joseph, Prince George's
Waldstreicher, Jeff, Montgomery
Walker, Jay, Prince George's
Washington, Mary, Baltimore
Weir, Michael, Baltimore County
Wilson, C.T., Charles
Zucker, Craig, Montgomery
Democrats Against:
Alston, Tiffany, Prince George's
Barkley, Charles, Montgomery
Beidle, Pamela, Montgomery
Carter, Jill, Baltimore
Gilchrist, James, Montgomery
Griffith, Melanie, Prince George's
Hammen, Peter, Baltimore
Holmes, Marvin, Prince George's
James, Mary-Dulany, Harford
Kelly, Ariana, Montgomery
Lee, Susan, Montgomery
Miller, Aruna, Montgomery
Mizeur, Heather, Montgomery
Morhaim, Dan, Baltimore County
Murphy, Peter, Charles County
Niemann, Doyle, Prince George's
Pena-Melnyk, Joseline, Prince George's
Robinson, Shane, Montgomery
Simmons, Luiz, R.S., Montgomery
Sophocleus, Theodore, Anne Arundel
Vaughn, Michael, Prince George's
Wood, John, St. Mary's
Republicans For:
Beitzel, Wendell, Garrett
Costa, Robert, Anne Arundel
Impallaria, Richard, Baltimore County
McDermott, Mike, Worcester
Myers, LeRoy, Washington
Republicans Against:
Afzali, Kathy, Frederick
Aumann, Susan, Baltimore County
Bates, Gail, Howard
Boteler, Joseph, C. III, Baltimore County
Cluster, John, Anne Arundel
Eckardt, Adelaide, Dorchester
Elliott, Donald, Carroll
Fisher, Mark, Calvert
Frank, William, Baltimore County
George, Ron, Anne Arundel
Glass, Glen, Harford
Haddaway-Riccio, Jeannie, Talbot
Hershey, Stephen, Queen Anne's
Hogan, Patrick, Frederick
Hough, Michael, Frederick
Jacobs, Jay, Kent
Kach, Wade, Baltimore County
Kipke, Nicholaus, Anne Arundel
Krebs, Susan, Carroll
McComas, Susan, Harford
McConkey, Tony, Anne Arundel
McDonough, Patrick, Baltimore County
McMillan, Herb, Anne Arundel
Miller, Warren, Howard
Norman, Wayne, Harford
O'Donnell, Anthony, Calvert
Otto, Charles, Somerset
Parrott, Neil, Washington
Ready, Justin, Carroll
Schuh, Steve, Anne Arundel
Schulz, Kelly, Frederick
Serafini, Andrew, Washington
Smigiel, Michael, Cecil
Stifler, Donna, Harford
Stocksdale, Nancy, Carroll
Vitale, Cathleen, Anne Arundel
Democrats not voting:
Burns, Emmett, C., Jr., Baltimore County
Republicans not voting:
Szeliga, Kathy, Baltimore County
Democrats excused absent:
Bobo, Elizabeth, Howard
Braveboy, Aisha, Prince George's
Cane, Rudolph, Wicomico
Carr, Alfred, Montgomery
Gutierrez, Ana Sol, Prince George's
Harrison, Hattie, Baltimore
Hucker, Tom, Montgomery
Mitchell, Keiffer, Baltimore
Proctor, James, Prince George's
Republicans excused absent:
Dwyer, Don, Anne Arundel