Wednesday, March 6, 2002
Lobbyists
gamble on emergency casino bill
Bangor Daily News A.
Jay Higgins
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers could hardly move between the House and Senate on Tuesday without being quizzed by tribal lobbyists who were weighing support for a proposed southern Maine casino.
“I was talking to one of them and he told me they were counting noses,” said Rep. Chris O’Neil, D-Saco.
Unconfirmed reports maintained that a new casino bill was already in the works Tuesday, even as the House prepared for a vote that might override Gov. Angus S. King’s veto Monday of a bill he claimed would pave the way for a casino in Calais. That closely watched vote is expected to take place today in the House. If two-thirds of the House and Senate side with the tribes on the Calais bill and override the veto, it could force King to reassess his entrenched policy of refusing to consider tribal gaming issues.
Meanwhile, lobbyists for the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes said Tuesday they were confident that at least six of the 10 members of the Legislative Council have tentatively agreed to admit an emergency bill concerning another casino being proposed for Kittery. If the emergency measure is approved by the legislative leaders on the council, the bill could be up for debate as early as next week.
Rep. Al Goodwin, D-Pembroke, said Tuesday he believed the two tribal members of the Legislature were prepared to present a casino bill that would be supported by many members of the Washington and Penobscot county delegations where the majority of tribal lands are located.
“I will sign on to the bill,” said Goodwin. “I would think that in the next day and a half we should see some of the proposal’s wording. A week from today, I would think we will either have a bill or a no bill.”
Proponents of the new casino claim the gambling resort would rival the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., and generate $50 million for the tribes and $100 million for the state’s General Fund annually. Sen. Ken Lemont, a Kittery Republican, said the tribes were evaluating a 150-acre to 200-acre parcel near the interstate in Kittery for the casino, which would employ up to 4,000 people. With a construction cost estimated at between $400 million and $600 million, the new casino would rely on Boston commuters. Supporters of the resort insist 80 percent of the casino’s customers would come from out of state.
Maine’s Indian tribes face long odds as they attempt to set the casino plan in motion. Under the provisions of the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act, the tribes need legislative approval to acquire land they intend to use for gambling purposes. King, who leaves office next January, has pledged to veto any casino legislation that reaches his desk. Since the deadline for admitting bills into the current session has expired, lobbyists for the tribes would need to demonstrate to the Legislative Council that an emergency situation justifies the bill’s authorization.
Tom Tureen, Severin Beliveau, Jon Doyle, Tony Buxton, Ann Robinson and Rich Thompson were among the lobbyists who arrived at the State House shortly before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the Kittery casino proposal with members of the Legislature’s Rural Caucus. Consisting of legislators who represent areas outside of Maine’s service centers, the lawmakers pressed the lobbyists on the implications the plan might hold for small towns located miles away from a casino in Kittery.
Rep. Rod Carr, R-Lincoln, a spokesman for the rural caucus, said some of two dozen legislators who attended the early morning meeting were particularly interested in knowing whether a bill could be crafted to guarantee that a certain percentage of the casino’s revenues would be dedicated for small towns.
“If the proposal does go forward, I think that would be part of the plan,” said Carr. “That’s one of the interests that was mentioned — a way to spread those revenues across the 16 counties, rather than the one county in which it would be located. ... What we’re interested in doing is improving the living conditions of everyone in Maine — including the Indians. But there’s a lot of poor people in the state who are non-Indian. We want to help those people, too.”
House Speaker Michael V. Saxl, a Portland Democrat who is one of six Democratic votes on the Legislative Council, said the casino concept is being widely discussed among members of the Legislature.
“This session is moving very quickly, so if there were to be legislation introduced, it would have to happen very soon,” he said. “Personally, I have no ideological opposition to gambling and I do recognize that we have revenue challenges. On the other hand, the governor’s comments have been pretty strong, and while I can’t predetermine the outcome for the bill, I think we’ll have to consider that while assessing whether we have the time and energy to take it up this session.”