State Senate Votes for Gambling, Passes $11.6 Billion Budget

The measure to allow video gambling at the state’s existing horse and dog tracks came to the Senate by way of its biannual budget bills.

Senate Finance Chairman Lou D’Allessandro told his colleagues allowing the gaming at the tracks and at two undetermined North Country locations would prove lucrative.

This will result in the generation of 205 million dollars to the general fund over the biennium with additional proceeds going to the municipalities and counties at which the video gaming takes place.

D’Allesandro also promised expanded gambling would create thousands of jobs.

Despite these assurances, GOP senators tried to amend the proposal.

One change would have made the tracks state owned.

Senator Bob Odell of Lempster promoted that view.

There are other north American models where the governmental agency keeps the franchise, outsources the management on a competitive bidding basis using the outside, outsourced organization to put up the money, to renovate, build whatever facilities are required.

This measure, like others floated by the GOP fell short of support.

Expanded gambling passed 16 to 8 on a mainly partisan vote.

Anti gambling activists like Jim Rubens were unhappy with the Senate vote.

Rubens leads the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling.

He said his group would work hard to make sure the bill died in the House of Representatives.

We’re working double overtime to ensure that the house does not also become a wholly owned subsidiary of the predatory gambling industry.

The House has historically voted against gambling, and observers don’t give it good odds this time around.

The senate also moved to soften the blow of a proposed rise in business taxes.

Business groups had complained that a proposed suspension of a business tax credit for 2 years could lead to job losses.

In reaction to that, Senate Finance Chairman Lou D’Allesandro moved to reinstate the credit for half that time.

Based on our infi our discussion the tax is suspended for one year and then reinstated at the end of fiscal year eleven.

That move cost a projected 40 million dollars in revenue.

But a plan emerged to recoup those losses through proposed gambling licenses.

Senate Republicans put a lot of their energy into trying to cut even more state spending.

They argued the state’s budget was simply too big.

To slim things down, Senator Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro offered a way to make substantial cuts.

I would urge my fellow colleagues here to consider the amendment, the floor amendment which would make cuts across the board on the back of the budget at 2.78 percent and I believe 2.75 percent in the second year.

Several Democrats opposed these cuts complaining that GOP senators wanted to make unspecified cuts and then let agency heads figure out how best to apply them.

Senator Kathy Scamboti of Tilton called the proposal totally irresponsible and predicted the amount of cuts would decimate many programs.

With a…266 million dollar list per year that would mean all child protection services, the vaccine program would be gone. We would have no general funds in glenclif. We would close the NH hospital. We would not support the veterans home with general funds.

Democratic leaders also argued they had already made difficult choices in reducing the budget by about 90 million dollars.

They said those cuts would decrease spending in virtually every department.

They said even the court system would be hit, and would likely need to close 5 court buildings around the state.

Despite the cuts, senators said they were increasing spending to help the unemployed and destitute.