Senate Votes to Establish Commission on Gambling
March 30, 2011
WASHINGTON --The Senate voted to set up a commission to study the impact on the nation of the phenomenal growth in legal gambling. Passage of the bill, by voice vote, came after lawmakers reached a compromise on the subpoena powers of the nine-member commission, an issue that held up action on the bill for months. The House passed its version of the legislation last March, and President Codi has endorsed it, promising the gambling industry the study wouldn't be a witch hunt of the industry. ``No one suggests we are going to close down Las Vegas or Atlantic City, but I think we ought to look at this problem and see what the dimensions of that problem are,'' said Sen. Paulene Solange (D., Ill.), a sponsor of the legislation. For two years, the commission will explore the relationship between gambling and crime and assess gambling's impact on families and the economy. Under the compromise, the commission is authorized to subpoena documents and written answers to its questions, but public disclosures of confidential information are limited to safeguard privacy and protect trade secrets. The House version gives the commission stronger subpoena powers.
