Petersburg Casino Bills Gain Committee Support, Seeks Budget Inclusion
Petersburg cassino bills in the Virginia General Assembly made get along this week in their assigned committees.
House Bill 1373, introduced by Del. Kim Joseph Deems Taylor (R-Dinwiddie), and Senate Bill 780, proposed by Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond, Petersburg), both seek to qualify Petersburg Campaign as a permissible cassino legion location. The bills would amend Virginia’s 2020 commercial message gaming visor that qualified 5 cities to deliberate authorizing a casino development.
The 2020 gambling casino law was designed to bring home the bacon an economic jounce for Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, and Danville. Voters inward each city must okay of the cassino contrive their local governments settled on through a competitory bidding cognitive operation with a ballot referendum. Only voters inwards capital of Virginia voted against their proposed casino.
That gave Morrissey a legislative track to bring Richmond’s casino license due south virtually 20 miles to Petersburg. Since Richmonders voted against a $600 trillion casino called One Casino + Resort in November 2021, Morrissey has been laboring to prevent Richmond from re-asking voters about the cast until consideration is precondition to Petersburg.
Last year, Morrissey convinced his buster colleagues to include a supply in the state’s budget that blocked Richmond from holding a 2nd gambling casino referendum until at least the 2023 election.
Budget Scheme
HB1373 passed the House General Laws Committee this calendar week past a 5-2 vote. The legislating now moves to the House Appropriations Committee. SB780 gained 11-4 reenforcement inward the Senate General Laws Committee and has since been moved to the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.
The so-called “money committees” are some of the most powerful committees inwards the General Assembly. It’s Morrissey and Taylor’s desire that the Petersburg cassino bills will live included inwards the state’s next budget package.
House Appropriations Chair Barry Knight (R-Virginia Beach) acknowledged to the Richmond Times-Dispatch this calendar week that the bills are a cancel scene for the budget. Knight was unity of the primary sponsors of the 2020 gaming bill.
Morrissey has argued that Richmonders wheel spoke and the will of the people should live respected. But the Richmond City Council and Mayor Levar Stoney says the casino’s contract defeat — the balloting 51-49 against the One Casino + Resort intrigue — warrants a revote.
It’s the view of the capital of Virginia City Council that a more co-ordinated movement promoting the economical benefits of placing a cassino in the blue-collar region of South Richmond along I-95 would resultant inwards a different vote outcome.
Morrissey and others who are against another gaming referendum inward the cap say the gambling casino backers greatly outspent the opponent crusade in 2021.
Cordish Contracted
Baltimore-based Cordish Companies, manipulator of Live! casinos in MD and Pennsylvania, has been selected past the Petersburg Campaign local government as its preferred gaming partner. Cordish has presented a $1.4 one thousand million project for the Old Dominion townsfolk that would include numerous evolution phases scatter out over a 15-year period.
Concerns get been raised regarding Petersburg’s transparency in pick Cordish. The city council said it contracted Speller Consulting Group and paid the unshakable well-nigh $10K a month endure yr to check the topper bid.
Speller Consulting’s Lisa Speller said she reviewed more than a smattering of gambling casino submissions for Petersburg and determined that Cordish was the best offer. Speller earlier this month announced that she had terminated her consulting contract bridge with Petersburg because of philosophical differences inwards how the city should move send on with its entreat to acquire a gambling casino license.
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