Home

Profile

State Budget

News

Newsletters

Legislation

Highway Construction Updates

Sign Up For Email Updates

Audio/Video

Photo Gallery

District Info

Constituent Services

Contact Me

Office Staff

Senate Resources

State Resources

Federal Resources

Senior Resources

Veterans Resources

Kids Resources

Search

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2006
Contact: Tracy Polovick
Coordinator of Communications and Outreach
(717) 787-8524
Back

Vance Joins Efforts to Reform Pennsylvania's Gaming Law

HARRISBURG – Sen. Patricia Vance (R-Cumberland/York) today joined 11 of her colleagues in unveiling a comprehensive plan to make major structural reforms to the two-year-old gaming law.

"Recent developments, such as the governor's transfer of money from the state police and Department of Revenue to the gaming board without the authority of the General Assembly, as well as the numerous ethical issues raised when high-ranking public officials and children of influential lobbyists receive supplier licenses, cry out all the more for legislative action to end the erosion of public trust in the gaming board," Vance said.

Efforts to reform the gaming law extend back more than one and a half years when Governor Ed Rendell vetoed legislation that would have made a number of reforms to the law including revisions pertaining to slot machine suppliers and granting powers to the attorney general to prosecute gaming-related crime. The 21 bill Senate Republican package is designed to:

Repair loopholes;
Enhance the accountability of the Gaming Control Board and improve the administration of the law;
Improve oversight of the attorney general and the General Assembly over the conduct of gaming in Pennsylvania.

Vance's bills would require attorney general approval of transfer of state funding to the board and ban political contributions. Colleague Sen. Jeff Piccola's (R-Dauphin) bills would expand the powers of the attorney general in gaming licensing and enforcement, and repeal the qualified majority, which requires the four legislative appointees and one of the governor's appointees to agree in order to award licenses and conduct other business.

The bill packages other sponsors are Sens. Jake Corman, Jane Earll, Jane Orie, John Pippy, John Rafferty, Bob Regola, Bob Robbins, Mike Waugh, Mary Jo White and Rob Wonderling.

"Both supporters and opponents of Pennsylvania's gaming law agree that the law is need of significant reform," Vance said. "These bills take some important steps to make the conduct of gaming more accountable to the citizens of this Commonwealth and lessen the possibility for corruption. Although I did not support the gambling expansion, now that it is in effect, the priority is to strengthen the law and amend provisions that will clarify the integrity and accountability of the process."

Vance's district includes all of Cumberland County and Carroll, Fairview, Franklin, Monaghan, Warrington and Washington townships and Dillsburg, Franklintown and Wellsville boroughs in York County.