So it was with the efforts related with the proposed casino gambling legislation in Georgia for 2017. The sponsor of the proposed bill did not get a chance for a second hearing in front of the Industries Committee, which is currently being regulated by the State. Considering the fact that there is less than a month remaining until the end of the Georgia General Assembly session, this basically means that the casino gambling legislation in Georgia will be dead for for this year.
Senate Bill 79 was presented in a hearing in front of the Committee on February 9th, but no vote was taken. Then, a second hearing in front of the Regulated Industries Committee was scheduled for February 23rd, but the meeting was cancelled. Senator Beach was planning to put some more efforts in order to secure the necessary votes for the Bill to get back in front of the Committee on February 27th, but that did not happen.
Senator Brandon Beach, who is the sponsor of the Senate Bill 79, explained that the legislation would have made casino gambling legal in the state of Georgia. He also added he was not discouraged and explained that he planned to travel across the State after the end of the General Assembly session in order to get more support for the bill next year. This Friday is the key deadline for local lawmakers to pass their pieces of legislation. Bills are required to pass at least one chamber in order to remain alive for the current year.
The original plan of the Bill’s sponsor was to aimed at allowing up to six casinos as well as a horse racing track on the territory of Georgia. Later, Senator Beach decided to reduce that number to no more than two casinos, called “destination resort” casinos. Unfortunately, he did not manage to get the needed support in order to get the bill out of the Committee.
The first destination resort casino that would have been created under the Senator Beach’s Bill, required an investment estimated to $2 billion in the counties around Atlanta. The second one, on the other hand, required an investment of $450 million in another area of the State. Under the Senate Bill 79, the taxes that would have been gathered from the regulated casinos in Georgia would be used for supporting college scholarships.
As a matter of fact, members of the Committee have been sceptical about this piece of legislation regardless of the fact that Senator Beach has done his best in order to make the Bill more appealing. What is more several religious organisations in the State opposed the eventual gambling expansion.
Gambling legislation issues have been alive in the State for some time now. In order for a casino gambling legislation to be created in Georgia, the bills would have to pass the General Assembly and then be signed into law by Governor Deal. After that, a state-wide referendum needs to take place, and if successful, the Bill would be presented to the State of Georgia jurisdictions.
- Author
Daniel Williams
