[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 1, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S4564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GAMBLING IN THE SUNLIGHT

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, the New York Times has again hit the 
mark in a recent editorial supporting a national study of the economic 
and social impacts of gambling. The Gambling Impact Study Commission 
Act has received considerable attention as it makes its way through the 
committee process. Although the road has at times been bumpy, we are 
well on the way to creating a commission with the powers it needs to 
produce a balanced and fair analysis of legalized gambling.
  In response to constructive criticism of the original bill, we have 
been hard at work crafting a substitute. Developed with bipartisan 
support, the substitute will take into account the legitimate interests 
of those whose livelihoods are invested in the industry as well as the 
concerns of those who would prefer to limit the expansion of gambling.
  However, we are quickly running out of time. The American public 
deserves to know the advantages and disadvantages of legalized 
gambling. The Commission's report will be an important national 
resource for policymakers at all levels of government. In order to make 
this happen, we need to move quickly to make room on the Senate 
calendar and to insure the passage of the Gambling Impact Study 
Commission Act.
  I urge my colleagues to read the editorial and to work with me to 
pass this act before it is too late.
  I ask that the New York Times editorial be printed in the Record.
  The editorial follows:

                [From the New York Times, Apr. 27, 1996]

                        Gambling in the Sunlight

       Just a few weeks ago, Representative Frank Wolf's proposal 
     to create a commission on the social and economic impact of 
     the nation's gambling explosion seemed just the sort of 
     virtuous idea that everyone in this partisan Congress could 
     support. In early March the House approved the nine-member 
     study panel without dissent. But the Virginia Republican's 
     proposal is in trouble in the Senate and may die there unless 
     the majority leader, Bob Dole, exerts leadership to rescue 
     it.
       A special interest group known for its generous campaign 
     contributions--the Nevada-based gaming industry--has teamed 
     up with prominent and well-compensated Republican lobbyists 
     to try to stop the bill. With help from Nevada's Democratic 
     Senator, Richard Bryan, and Alaska's Ted Stevens, the 
     Republican chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, 
     the effort seems to be succeeding.
       Mr. Bryan blocked Senate action. Mr. Stevens, meanwhile, 
     has produced a weak revision that would deny the commission 
     the powers it needs to subpoena documents, convene 
     investigative hearings and make recommendations that go 
     beyond such obvious issues as native-American casinos and 
     gambling on the Internet. Angered by criticism, Mr. Stevens 
     last week decided, for now, against reporting any bill out of 
     his committee. The delay increases the chance that the 
     commission will die in the usual close-of-session legislative 
     logjam.
       The social and economic consequences of the rapid 
     proliferation of casinos and state-run lotteries have 
     received too little attention. There is room for a 
     comprehensive look at the true costs and benefits for local 
     economies and at the relationship between gambling and crime. 
     There is also a need to look at the industry's role in 
     creating gambling addicts and the extent to which earnings 
     derive from problem gamblers. Even staunch supporters of 
     legalized gambling cannot object to a fair effort to give 
     localities the information they need to make informed 
     decisions before turning to gambling as a source of new or 
     increased revenue.
       Although Mr. Dole has received hefty campaign contributions 
     from the gambling industry, he has indicated his support for 
     a national gambling study. To make it happen, though, he 
     needs to move quickly to make room for the bill on the Senate 
     calendar and to insure its passage with the commission's full 
     investigative powers intact. Among other things the 
     commission would study the gambling industry's ability to 
     influence public policy. The Senate's timidity is a case in 
     point.

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