All slot machine hearings cancelled: Is issue dead?
By Senator Richard Colburn
Times Record
March 29, 2006

I sponsored Senate Bill 42 (Video Lottery Terminals - Statewide Straw Ballot).

This bill would have required that a straw ballot question be placed on the ballot in the Nov. 7 General Election to determine the sense of the voters in Maryland on the issue of locating video lottery terminals licensed by the State for commercial gaming purposes at up to three licensed horse racetracks and up to three nonracetrack destination locations.

This bill hearing, which was before the Senate Budget and Taxation was cancelled. This week Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller cancelled all hearings on slot machine legislation. Senator Ulysses Currie, a Prince Georges Democrat and chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee called all slots proposals "100 percent dead".

Without a hearing it is impossible for any slot legislation to come up for a vote. Obviously this spells out the death of Senate Bill 42, therefore, Marylanders will not get the opportunity to vote and give their opinion on this controversial issue.

Richard Colburn