9.08.2008

Board of Regents endorses Slots

This past friday at the first full meeting Board of Regents for this academic year, other Regents and I voted to endorse the slots referendum to appear on the ballot in November. The USM Student Council also discussed the issue at length at its meeting yesterday. I voted to endorse the plan becuase I believe that potential societal costs are outweighed by the benefit for higher education. The revenues from slots, which I presume will amount to about $400 million a year, will be dedicated to a fund for education. Up to $150 million of this fund can be dedicated to higher education capital projects each year.

In light of these developments, I have pulled together some resources for you that will be useful in considering the issue:

Non-Technical Bill Summary
Copy of Legislation passed by Maryland General Assembly (description of locations included)
Ballot Language

(Chapter 5, Acts of 2007 Special Session)

Authorizing Video Lottery Terminals (Slot Machines) to Fund Education

Authorizes the State to issue up to five video lottery licenses for the purpose of raising revenue for education of children in public schools, prekindergarten through grade 12, public school construction and improvements, and construction of capital projects at community colleges and higher education institutions. No more than a total number of 15,000 video lottery terminals may be authorized in the State, and only one license may be issued for each specified location in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Worcester, and Allegany Counties, and Baltimore City. Any additional forms or expansion of commercial gaming in Maryland is prohibited, unless approved by a voter referendum.

(Enacts new Article XIX of the Maryland Constitution)

  • For the Constitutional Amendment
  • Against the Constitutional Amendment
Also, here are some other links that might be useful for you:
Marylanders United to Stop Slots
For Maryland- Pro Slots Advocacy Group
Sun Article on BOR Endorsement of Slots


What are you thoughts on slots in Maryland? Do you think the benefits for higher education make the proposal worthwhile?
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1 comment:

bf said...

I completely agree with the reasoning of the Board of Regents when it comes to the slots issue. They showed strong leadership in setting aside their personal views in light of the pressing issue of higher education funding. Regardless of my personal view on slots, I would have also casted a "yes" vote for this proposal. As leaders, higher education funding must be of utmost priority so that we can continue preparing our students to be productive members of society. With dedicated funding sources, we can ensure that we are providing money that can be used for capital projects as well as resources that we as students can use in order to better our respective institutions and our education.

September 8, 2008 at 9:30 PM

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