Tuesday, December 22, 2009
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A top House lawmaker says he thinks the House and Senate can resolve differences over table games legislation and save the jobs of more than 1,000 Pennsylvania government employees.
Dante Santoni, the Gaming Oversight Committee chairman, said the sides are talking this week. One major sticking point involves how the bill affects the future location of a potentially lucrative casino.
The bill to legalize table games is supposed to rake in enough new tax revenue from gambling to prevent the layoffs.
But legislators have been stuck on disagreements in the bill for several months and Gov. Ed Rendell says the state needs the money.
Rendell says if he can’t sign a bill by Jan. 8, he’ll have to cut $250 million in spending, which includes the layoffs.