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March 18, 2007 Slot machine bill HB1835 to be heard in committee TuesdayYour help is needed on three bills now in the Senate with action coming this week. The first is the slot machine bill. Other alerts will be sent on the Sudan divestment bill and the push to keep the cigarette tax increase proposal alive. HB1835 the slot machine bill proposes 2,500 slot machines be placed in each of the state’s two horse racing tracks at Anderson and Shelbyville. This bill will be in a hearing of the Senate Tax and Policy Committee on Tuesday, March 20 at 9 a.m. in room 431. Senator Luke Kenley of Noblesville an active member of First UMC in Noblesville is chair of the committee. He welcomes our testimony. We see this bill as a blatant expansion of legalized gambling and are working with the Indiana Coalition Against Legalized Gambling to shut down this bill in committee. The bill passed the House with a 54-39 vote. As it left the House on Feb. 23, a number of amendments were added to the bill, one of which establishes and funds an Indiana health insurance fund to help insure lower income Hoosier families who have no health insurance. This is NOT the way the Governor wants the Healthy Indiana Plan funded. Governor Daniels wants HIP funded by an increase in the cigarette tax. Another amendment provides for a $1.6 million tax break for the French Lick Casino since it would suffer a loss in revenue if the tracks get slots. This bill would begin a whole new chapter in expanded legalized gambling in Indiana since it would be permitting two land-based casinos, which the 11 riverboat casinos will then want to be land-based, too. Legalized gambling is expanding in four ways this year – one with large building projects at three of the casinos to increase the number of slot machines; two, with this proposed slot machine bill; three, with the bill now in the House to privatize the state lottery; and four, with plans to permit holders of a liquor license to serve drinks to be able to have five electronic gaming devices in bars and restaurants, and 10 EGDs in private clubs. As United Methodists, oppose any expansion of legalized gambling because it will increase the number of addicted gamblers in Indiana. Gambling addiction is a growing menace to our social order in Indiana because it result in an increase of personal bankruptcies, foreclosures, loss of credit, spouse abuse, separation, divorce and affects family members, friends, neighbors, employers, state and county social service agencies and churches. Unlike tobacco addiction, gambling addiction is difficult to see. Indiana has banned 1,600 problem gamblers from its 11 casinos. More than 5,000 people inquired to the state problem gamblers hotline last year for assistance with gambling addiction in some form. We do know that wherever casino gambling is introduced, the number of bankruptcies and other financial problems escalates in that and surrounding counties. For instance, Lake County Indiana now has the highest incidents of personal bankruptcies in Indiana and one of the highest of any county in the country since the riverboat casinos came. Senator Patricia Miller, an active member of Old Bethel UMC in Indianapolis, called Bishop Coyner on Friday to report that she is not receiving any mail in opposition to the expansion of legalized gambling and that there are a number of bills in the Senate being considered. Our vigilance is extremely important this week and the next month as this session of the General Assembly comes to a close in April. The threat of an expansion of legalized gambling in Indiana is very real and will happen if we don’t take immediate and widespread action across the state. Please write or call your State Senator on Monday, March 19 and voice your opposition to HB1835, the slot machine bill. If you don’t know who your State Senator is, log on to www.in.gov/legislative and click on Who is my legislator. If you know your Senator, call him or her toll-free at 800-382-9467 (or 317-232-9400), write to them at 200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204 or use the legislative Web site to send them e-mail. Log on to: http://www.in.gov/cgi-bin/legislative/contact/contact.pl#senate. We need to act now. The slot machine bill (HB1835) goes before a Senate committee for hearing on Tuesday morning, March 20 at 9 a.m. in room 431. If you wish to testify against this bill, be at the hearing by 8:30 to sign in. At least two if not more United Methodists will be testifying against the bill. Thank you for taking this immediate action. And thank your Senators for their service to Indiana. Please consider sending e-mail or calling each member of the Senate Tax and Policy Committee to voice your opposition to slot machines at the horse race tracks. Here is their contact information:
Thank you for your immediate attention to this plea. # # # e-HUM Alert copyright 2007 by Indiana Area United Methodist Communications. |
