Bill Text: PA SR82 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to complete a study and comparative analysis of the operating budget of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and report its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the Senate.

Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 10-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-04-23 - Referred to APPROPRIATIONS [SR82 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-SR82-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 904
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 82 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY ORIE, FARNESE, PIPPY, ALLOWAY, ERICKSON, M. WHITE, FOLMER, PICCOLA, O'PAKE, ARGALL AND BROWNE, APRIL 23, 2009
REFERRED TO APPROPRIATIONS, APRIL 23, 2009
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to
complete a study and comparative analysis of the operating
budget of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and report
its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the Senate.
WHEREAS, In 2004, the General Assembly passed and enacted
into law the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act;
and
WHEREAS, The act established the Pennsylvania Gaming Control
Board as the primary State agency tasked with overseeing the
development and operation of slot machine gaming in this
Commonwealth and charged with the responsibility of ensuring
strict financial monitoring and control of slot machine gaming;
and
WHEREAS, The act provides that the costs and expenses
incurred by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in carrying
out its statutory responsibilities associated with the
regulatory oversight of gaming shall be recoverable from each
licensed entity in the form of assessments that are payable by
each slot machine operator in addition to the gaming tax rate of
approximately 58% to 60%; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board submits an
annual proposed operating budget, upon which the assessments
payable by each slot machine operator are based, to the
legislature for approval; and
WHEREAS, For fiscal year 2009-2010, the Pennsylvania Gaming
Control Board is seeking a budget increase of 6.4%; and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth is the highest-cost state in the
nation as measured by regulatory costs as a percentage of gaming
revenue, regulatory costs per casino employee and regulatory
costs per gaming employee position, and, if the legislature were
to approve the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's proposed
budget, this situation would likely be exacerbated even further;
and
WHEREAS, Information related to the Pennsylvania Gaming
Control Board's spending priorities and resource allocation is
necessary in order for the General Assembly to prudently
exercise its budgetary oversight responsibilities; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
review and compare any relevant analyses of the regulatory costs
associated with gaming in principal gaming states, including,
but not limited to, New Jersey and Nevada; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
study and analyze the impact of 4 Pa.C.S. § 1202(a)(4),
exempting the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board from the system
of employee classification and compensation under The
Administrative Code of 1929, upon the board's operating budget;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
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make recommendations as to the means by which regulatory costs
can be controlled, including an overall tax assessment cap or as
a cap expressed as a percentage of gross terminal revenue, and
cost savings initiatives that could be imposed to control
escalating operating costs of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control
Board; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
report all of its findings and recommendations to the Senate no
later than 60 days from the passage of this resolution.
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