It didn?t take very long.
Slot machine gambling returned to the legislative agenda Friday.
Del. Galen Clagett, D-Frederick, introduced a bill to allow 12,500 slot machines at horseracing tracks in the state and use the bulk of the proceeds to pay for school construction.
Clagett said the bill?s chances of passage would not be hurt by the previous four years of partisan warfare over the topic and staunch opposition from House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel.
“What happened then [in previous years] is different from what happens now,” Clagett said. Two previous attempts to pass the same bill in 2005 and 2006 failed.
The bill would set aside 40 percent of gambling proceeds for school construction and 35 percent to the horseracing industry. The rest of the proceeds would be divided up among the state lottery, local jurisdictions that house the machines, and a fund to support state and local fire and rescue departments.
The rancor over legalizing slot-machine gambling became one of the hallmarks of outgoing Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich?s tenure. Democratic Gov.-elect Martin O?Malley has said he supports slots at racetracks, but said Wednesday he would not consider slots as a new revenue source for the state until Busch and Senate President Thomas Mike Miller, D-Calvert, worked out their differences and presented him with a proposal.
“I would like to get this issue behind us,” O?Malley said.
Miller, a faithful supporter of Ehrlich?s slots proposals, said the state needs slot machines to keep millions of dollars in disposable income from going to neighboring states that allow slot machine gambling.
“We need to have it happen,” he said.
But Busch remained opposed to the idea of using slots as a principal revenue source for new state funding.
“If you think people are going to stop going to Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia, you?re kidding yourself,” he said. “I don?t think you can base your government on gambling.”
