[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S2335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE GAMBLING LOBBY VERSUS FRANK WOLF

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, Congressman Frank Wolf is a 
Republican and I am a Democrat, but we have joined with Senator Lugar 
and others in proposing a commission to look at where this Nation is 
going and the question of legalized gambling.
  The most casual observer must recognize that we are headed for some 
problems.
  I was pleased to see the editorial in the Washington Post, ``The 
Gambling Lobby v. Frank Wolf,'' which I ask to be printed in the Record 
at the conclusion of my remarks.
  The reality is that one of the reasons the gambling lobby is so 
effective is the huge amounts of campaign contributions that are 
provided.
  And, as we know from indictments and convictions across the land, the 
gambling gentry do not hesitate, from time to time, to get into illegal 
activity to promote their enterprises.
  I am proud of my colleague, Frank Wolf, for what he is doing, as I am 
proud of Senator Richard Lugar and the other cosponsors in the Senate.
  The Post editorial follows:

                    The Gambling Lobby v. Frank Wolf

       A funny thing is happening with the gambling issue in the 
     House. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) has been pressing for a useful 
     bill to create a national commission to study the economic 
     and social impact of the spread of gambling, and the bill was 
     making good progress. Mr. Wolf's bill has already cleared the 
     Judiciary Committee and is supposed to go to the floor of the 
     House in early March.
       But in the interim, the bill has gone to the House 
     Resources Committee, which claims jurisdiction because the 
     measure affects gambling on Indian reservations. House 
     Resources now plans another set of hearings on the bill, and 
     Mr. Wolf is understandably worried that the hearings might be 
     used to further delay consideration. Given the wide support 
     the bill has--it's hard to argue against a national study of 
     gambling's spread or to pretend there are no national 
     implications to this trend--the danger is that the bill will 
     be killed not directly but by endless delay and amendment.
       The American Gaming Association (the gambling industry 
     likes the 17th century drawing room sound of ``gaming'') 
     insists that it is not opposed to a national study of 
     gambling. But it sees the Wolf bill, as written, as just the 
     first step in an effort by Congress to impose some federal 
     rules on an industry that has so far been largely regulated 
     by the states. It also complains that the commission as set 
     up in the Wolf bill now has no representation from state 
     officials (governors or legislators), even though one of the 
     main purposes of the committee is to provide more objective 
     information to local officials than they usually get from the 
     gambling industry.
       These objections strike us mostly as clever ways for the 
     industry to gum up the progress of useful legislation. In 
     particular, it would be foolish to limit the commission's 
     mandate. With the spread of gambling--especially to Indian 
     reservations, whose casinos have ways around state 
     regulation--there may well be a case for some national rules. 
     If any event, it's certainly an issue the commission should 
     debate.
       The gambling industry has a great deal of money, has been 
     making large campaign contributions and recently hired some 
     of Washington's most influential lobbyists. We have no doubt 
     that the industry can bring a lot of pressure against Mr. 
     Wolf's bill and construct some ingenious stratagems to weaken 
     it. The issue is whether the House leadership will play 
     along, mouthing kind words about Mr. Wolf's efforts while 
     trying to undermine them. The leaders should not play that 
     game. They should keep the promise and let an undiluted 
     version of the Wolf bill go to the floor on schedule.

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