[Senate Rejects Casino] It was dead on arrival. The senate didn’t waste time in rejecting the casino bill on first reading in its session yesterday after it was passed by the House of Delegates. The gaming bill cleared the House last November but its Senate floor introduction had to wait until the January regular session. “House Bill No. 9-153, 15S, HD3. The Bill introduced by Speaker of the House of Delegates Sabino Anastacio, et.al, seeks to establish and regulate an exclusive casino gaming license within the Republic of Palau. The Bill was rejected by majority of the Senate,” stated a January 14 Senate press release, issued immediately after the session. The rejection by the Senate has killed any plans for casino gaming on the island, and perhaps for the foreseeable future. This latest rejection comes after Palauans in 2011 referendum overwhelmingly rejected the casino with 75% voter disapproval. The Senate’s decision was expected as majority of the senators’ positions were known publicly before the vote. Senate President Camsek Chin who took the lead in opposing the casino told the media earlier that the public has already spoken, so that as leaders they should respect the decision of the people. The bill was initially introduced by the House of Delegates last year in September with public hearings conducted in each of the 16-states. In the bill, the promise of the $300,000,000 upon the issuance of the first year casino license – a funding that was bigger than the $232,000,000 negotiated in the compact review agreements – failed to convince the senators for their support. Some senators are saying that the numbers don’t add u and the bill lack serious economic analysis. Tia Belau News. January 15, 2015
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:43:44 +0000
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