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Dear Tom,
Thanks for reading the
October edition of the
Sannicandro Sentinel. This issue
includes an article about casino
gambling, legislative updates
and information about how you
can get involved in the
legislative process.
As always, I encourage you to
contact my office about any
issues that are important to you
or show up at one of my office
hours below.
Looking Forward,
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Open Mind on
Casinos
Tom Sannicandro's
oped on Casino
Gambling in
Massachusetts
When the topic of
economic development
has come up in
discussion recently
the prospect of
casino gambling in
Massachusetts has
evoked concern and
excitement in people
all over the
Commonwealth. Since
Governor Deval
Patrick proposed a
comprehensive
three-resort casino
plan as part of his
larger economic
development package
just a couple of
weeks ago, every
side of the casino
argument has begun
to spin its message
- either casinos are
Massachusetts'
economic savior or
their our surest
path to social
deconstruction.
Undoubtedly, casino
discussions have the
potential to eclipse
many other important
issues that will be
in front of the
legislature for
months at a time.
The many issues to
consider regarding
casinos are
important ones -
ranging from
potential social
costs like gambling
addition to
infrastructure
maintenance, public
safety, tourism,
revenue generation
and how casinos
could benefit cities
and towns by
increasing local
aid.
While I'm not sold
on any particular
proposal as it
stands today, the
governor's proposal
outlines the kind of
discussion we in the
legislature need to
have about gaming in
general and casinos
in particular. Both
the people of
Massachusetts and
those of us in the
legislature must
examine our systems
of gaming that exist
in Massachusetts
already - from big
state lottery games
to scratch tickets,
keno and track
racing and evaluate
options like slot
machines and resort-
style casinos in a
holistic discussion
that relies on solid
information about
what kinds of gaming
are best for the
Commonwealth.
One of the most
important reasons
that the casino talk
in Massachusetts
must be taken as one
large issue with a
variety of different
spokes is the
federal recognition
of the Wampanoag
Native American
tribe in southern
Massachusetts. Under
the 1988 Indian
Gaming Regulatory
Act, any recognized
Indian tribe has
access to any form
of gambling that is
legal in the state.
As an example, if
slot machines were
legalized at the
racetracks in
Massachusetts but
casino gambling
wasn't, the
Wampanoag tribe
would have a back
door entrance to
casinos through the
permission of the
slot machines. In
fact, because slot
machines are
classified under
federal law as Class
III gambling, the
legalization of slot
machines could also
legalize table games
like blackjack,
roulette, craps and
others which fall
under the same
federally recognized
class of gambling
and lead to an
Indian casino which
benefits residents
of the Commonwealth
much less than a
well thought out and
developed resort
casino plan could.
No casino plan
offered to date for
Massachusetts
answers every
important question
that needs to be
grappled with. One
major concern deals
with the interplay
between any casino
plan and the state
lottery. Gaming in
Massachusetts has
benefited from the
most successful
state lottery in the
country which
returns over
$9,000,000 to
Ashland and
Framingham each year
in local aid.
Communities all
around the state
couldn't possibly
afford to accept a
decline in lottery
revenue, and
certainly can't
afford to gamble by
supporting casinos
unless assurances
are made that
casinos will benefit
cities and towns all
around Massachusetts
through local aid,
public safety and
infrastructure
investment.
The potential social
costs to the
Commonwealth from
casinos are issues
of enormous
importance but
should also be
addressed as part of
the bigger casino
discussion. Labeling
casinos as a "tax on
the poor" and
dismissing the
entire discussion is
going to be
unhelpful; even
those who disagree
with casinos on
principal should be
working to minimize
any harm that could
be a result of a
casino plan moving
forward. As this
discussion begins we
need to make sure
that every theory is
on the table and
every concern is
adequately examined;
the Commonwealth
needs to make a
responsible decision
about casinos that
will allocate the
resources needed to
address mental
health issues as
they arise and
perform excellent
gambling education
and addiction
prevention to
minimize mental
health issues.
The question of
whether or not to
allow casinos in
Massachusetts is
also very important
in how it relates to
tourism. Today, when
someone visits the
Massachusetts Office
of Travel and
Tourism website they
will see pictures of
the ocean, of our
apple orchards, of
the changing foliage
and of important
historical landmarks
that all make up
Massachusetts.
Through that website
a visitor can learn
about our history,
museums, outdoor
recreational
activities,
sightseeing tours,
zoos, national parks
and communities. Do
we want them to also
learn about the
different casinos
they can visit? And
when revenues are
down, will
Massachusetts be
forced to push our
casinos to increase
revenue?
As we enter this
serious discussion
about gaming it's
important to note
that although
Governor Patrick has
proposed a plan for
three resort
casinos, that's far
from the only plan,
proposal or idea
being looked at for
Massachusetts. I
have decided to keep
an open mind towards
casinos, welcoming
your comments and
suggestions, with
the only exception
being that we must
formulate a plan
that is in the best
interest of
Massachusetts
residents and
properly evaluates
every aspect of
gaming before moving
forward.
See the article as
originally printed
in the MetroWest
Daily News
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Spotlight on Tom's
Bills
October profiles 5
of Tom's different
bills
Out of Tom's 45
different bills, the
following five very
different bills
would have a
positive impact on
people in Ashland,
Framingham and all
around the state if
enacted. We have
chosen to expand
upon these different
bills as part of our
October newsletter -
look for additional
bill updates in the
months to come!
H3621 - An Act
Relative to the
Rights of Commuter
Rail Patrons - One
of my biggest
priorities as
Framingham and
Ashland's State
Representative is
ensuring that public
transportation is
convenient, reliable
and affordable.
Unfortunately, the
MBTA's
Framingham-Worcester
line often
underperforms and
too often commuters
find it unreliable.
In an effort to
boost reliability I
have filed a bill
that would allow
commuters to ride
the Commuter Rail
for free - not
having to deal with
a cumbersome
reimbursement
process - when the
train is running
significantly
delayed or doesn't
provide adequate and
comfortable
accommodations to
its riders.
H545 - An Act
Relative to
Providing Insurance
Coverage for
Magnetic Resonance
Imaging for Certain
Persons - This bill
is vital to
increasing early
detection of and
recovery from breast
cancer. While
originally proposed
by a constituent,
this bill has been
hailed by women's
groups around the
Commonwealth who
support easier
access to early
detection methods
for women who are at
a higher than normal
risk of breast
cancer. MRI's have
been acknowledged as
a new way to screen
for break cancer but
often are
inaccessible because
insurance is
unwilling to pay for
MRI as part of
breast cancer
screening. I hope
that this bill
passes so that any
person at risk for
breast cancer will
be able to increase
their chances of
early detection and
live full lives.
H314 - An Act
Relative to Text
Messaging - This
bill would limit the
maximum charge
authorized by text
messages to $5.00,
and cause any
additional charges
to be made live over
the telephone. This
bill, which is
currently in the
Joint Committee on
Consumer Protection
and Professional
Licensure, was
written in response
to a concern brought
to Tom by an Ashland
constituent.
H1072 - An Act
Relative to the
Rights of Life
Insurance Holders -
This bill,
accompanied by a
similar bill
sponsored by State
Senator Karen Spilka
would require that
life insurance
companies honor
policies issued when
a person is in good
health so long as no
fraud or abuse was
found during the
issuance of the
policy. Too often,
insurance companies
are using the "good
health" provision in
a way that takes
advantage of life
insurance holders.
This bill, which has
a hearing scheduled
in October, would
help families gain
the upper hand when
dealing with life
insurance companies.
H2375 - An Act
Relative to Pepper
Spray - This bill,
which is currently
in the Joint
Committee on Public
Safety and Homeland
Security, would
remove the
requirement of a
firearm
identification card
when carrying pepper
spray and chemical
mace in
Massachusetts. Too
often, people who
feel as though they
need pepper spray as
a way to defend
themselves don't
have immediate or
convenient access to
it because of
restrictions. This
bill, filed by the
request of a
constituent would
remove restrictions
so that more people
who are interested
in protecting
themselves by
carrying pepper
spray will be able
to.
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