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Bob
Odell
State Senator
District 8
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March
9, 2009
Senator Odell is Chairman of
the Ways and
Means Committee, and
member of the Energy, Environment and Economic Development
Committee; Finance Committee; Citizens Trade Policy
Commission; State Park System Advisory Council; and Comprehensive Cancer Plan Oversight
Board.
Senate
District 8 towns: Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Claremont,
Gilsum, Goshen, Langdon, Lempster, Marlow, New London, Newbury,
Newport, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Sutton, Unity,
Walpole, Washington and Westmoreland.
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Profiting from the old sins of gambling and
drinking dominated last Tuesday’s six and a half hours of public
hearings in the
Senate Ways
and Means Committee. The issues are significant.
First is whether or not to modernize the New Hampshire Liquor
Commission. Secondly, should
the state allow expanded gambling. Both
have short and long term implications for what
New Hampshire
will look like as a state in the years ahead.
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission was created 75 years ago when
prohibition was repealed. Instead
of going through private sector retailers, a number of states set up state
control systems so that the state could manage the balance between
customer desires and generating money for state government.
Today, our state is one of eighteen with state control systems.
Sales last fiscal year ending on June 30, 2008 were over $466
million, operating expenses were $35 million leaving $146 million in
profits for the state. There
are 77 state operated stores and three agency stores … grocery and
convenience stores that sell hard liquor. And
the commission licenses bars and restaurants as well as beer and wine
retailers. The commission also
enforces our alcohol beverage laws.
Consumer interests as well as the opportunity to increase profits
and be more a more efficient agency are behind Commission Chairman Mark
Bodi’s request that the legislature pass the Liquor Commission
Modernization Act 2009 (SB 181). The
legislation would do several things including making the commission an
“enterprise agency” instead of general fund agency.
An enterprise agency can act quickly to meet market conditions and
operating needs without government constraints.
State stores would be able to sell beverage related items like wine
and gift bags, cork screws, gift boxes and the like.
Very importantly, if the modernization bill is passed the
commission will have flexibility to open new agency stores.
That means where there are low yielding state stores, the
commission might close them and select a grocery store in each area to
sell hard liquor along with the wine and beer they already sell.
There are many other items dealing with personnel, direct shipping
of beverages, charity wine tasting, permission for wine auction sales and
others that would modernize liquor commission operations.
The bill goes to the Senate floor on Wednesday with a request from
the committee for a couple of extra weeks to work on it to make some minor
adjustments to benefit
New Hampshire
producers of vodka, hard cider and wine.
I sense Senators are likely to be favorable to making our liquor
commission more effective and profitable while being more responsive to
consumers.
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Senator Lou D’Allseandro (
Manchester
) introduced his bill (SB 179) that would permit slot machines at the race
tracks and two locations yet to be determined in the north country.
He has been pushing the same basic legislation for ten years and
each session he comes up short for votes to pass his bill.
He is a tireless advocate, believes strongly that the economic
impact from the renovation of facilities, especially at
Rockingham
Park
, would be a big boost to the state. Longer
term, he believes his bill would create a revenue stream to help the state
meet its annual budget.
Senator D’Allesandro was not by himself.
With hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, there were witnesses
supporting the bill from
Las Vegas
,
Maryland
,
Pennsylvania
and other states all with a financial interest in the outcome.
And
New Hampshire
lobbyists were there aplenty, too. Some
suggest the slots legislation is a full employment act for lobbyists
courtesy of the promoters.
The opposition? Most of
law enforcement including the Attorney General share long histories of
opposing the expansion of gambling and especially having thousands of slot
machines in our state. The
machines are often referred to as the “crack cocaine” of gambling
because of their addictiveness. And
groups like the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association have also
opposed slot machines over the years.
There was another “slots bill” (SB 169) introduced by Senator
Ted Gatsas (Manchester) that would have slot machine facilities owned by
the state and managed by a new gambling oversight commission.
His bill got little attention even though it was brought to the
committee after we had heard how successfully the Liquor Commission has
been running their alcoholic beverage monopoly for 75 years.
Two days later, the D’Allesandro bill got a positive 3-2 vote
(one anti gambling Senator was not there) while the Gatsas bill got no
traction with a 5-0 negative vote. The
full Senate deals with both this week.
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With the pace of activity picking up as we move toward April 9
“crossover day,” it was good to take break early one morning so that
Senators could read with two students from their district.
Read Across America is an annual event sponsored by the National
Education Association and highlights the power of reading for students and
their families. It is held
during the first week of March each year so we can celebrate the birthday
of Dr. Seuss. With Dr. Seuss
hats for students and Senators, the recitation of the readers’ pledge
and some other ceremonies completed, we read with our students.
The two students from District 8 were Dakota Avery and Jacob
Merritt from the
Richards
School
in
Newport
. They were fine
representatives of the district and both are extraordinarily skilled
readers.
Bob Odell
State Senator
New Hampshire State House
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301-4951
Telephone: 603-271-6733
Email: rpojr@aol.com
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