Hoping the state will cash in, but not everyone agrees. And today, both sides sound off. Among other changes to pennsylvania gaming laws, house bill 271 allows up to 40,000 slotlike gaming terminals, known as vgts, in bars, bowling alleys, and truck stops. The house of representatives passed the bill 102 to 89 with support from both republicans and democrats. With me now is Pennsylvania State representative maria donatucci, and state representative mark mustio joined us from harrisburg. So, lets start out, why support this bill . Whats in it for pennsylvanians . Mark mustio several years ago on the appropriations committee, we were tasked with finding nonbroadbased tax revenue for the state. And currently in pennsylvania, there are anywhere between 25,000 and 40,000 illegal poker machines. And other states have legalized video gaming terminals in bars, taverns, restaurants, and clubs, illinois being the most recent, and theyre generating approximately 350 million a year to their general fund. So, i thought it would be a Good Opportunity to go investigate how they did it, what they did that they would like to improve upon, and could we possibly do it in pennsylvania. So, ive been working on this project for 3 years. And basically, it would enable those bars, restaurants, clubs with certain restrictions to put up to five video gaming terminals, which in essence are slot machines, in their locations, keeping in mind that many of the locations that we talk about already have these existing, but we would want to regulate them. In other words, they would be connected to a central server like our slot machines are at our casinos. Payouts would be regulated much higher than they are now with these underground machines. They would be consistent with what the minimum payouts are with slot machines in pennsylvania, and it would generate revenue for local municipalities that theyre housed in, and also the county. So, in the case of philadelphia, they would not only get the county share, they would get the, you know, the city share as well. Erin so, you oppose this. Why . Maria donatucci i oppose it because i dont think its a good bet for philadelphia. Were going to have onethird of the machines here. We already have 17,000 establishments that they can go into. I dont know if its going to hurt the middleclass and the poorer neighborhoods with this kind of gambling available. And im worried that its going to cut into the money that the gaming casinos make and also our lottery. Erin so, youre saying itll undercut already the things that we already have, and the lottery, which benefits older pennsylvanians. Talk about how, in your opinion, that would be detrimental to the area. Maria well, itd be detrimental because all the money that comes from the lottery goes to senior citizens. Theres rebates, theres pacenet. It helps them so much, and were already finding a little bit of a deficit. And then when we look at illinois, we see that they had a 12 decrease once they put vgts, but chicago and cook county were allowed to opt out. In philadelphia, we were not allowed to opt out. Nowhere in pennsylvania was allowed to opt out. So, we already see the detrimental that happened in illinois, and were worried its going to happen here in pennsylvania. Erin so, youve been doing your research. Youve beenwell, you have been talking about this, you and other lawmakers for some time. And whats the reaction that you have been hearing from your constituents . Maria a lot of people dont want it. They just came out with a harper poll, and they said that 60 of pennsylvanians do not want it. And you have to remember in philadelphia, we have a problem with stopngos. They have our licenses, theyre mostly convenience stores, and every one of them will be allowed to put vgts in them. Mark those are the same arguments that were made when we voted on slot machines and casinos in 2004 when we passed it. Those same arguments were made, and if you look at the timetable from when casinos were implemented in pennsylvania and now, lottery revenues have increased in excess of a billion dollars a year. So, the facts just dont bear that out. The facts dont bear that out in illinois. But anybody that doesnt want to see something take place is going to reach for a lot of arguments. And ive fought those battles and really delved into the specifics on the issues and the numbers. Wevetheyve thrown out a lot of things about illinois that just arent factual. And, you know, theyre sayingthe commercials on tv now are saying that these slot machines are going to be going into nursing homes. Well, thats just not true, its not in the bill. And we try to put some things in the bill to help the city of philadelphia too. I mean, therei know from talking to some of my colleagues, theres some issues with these what theyre called stopngos, i think, in that area. Im not familiar with them, but the way theyre described to me is not something that id want to have in my community. So, this legislation provides 3 million to hire liquor control enforcement officers to help that issue get resolved in the city of philadelphia. In addition, theres 2 million for the Gun Violence Task force in philadelphia too. And we put restrictions on the location size. And also, if an entity, a location has had violations over the last 3 years of certain levels, that theyre not able to put these machines in them as well. So, inspections will take place before they go in in the city of philadelphia if theyre underif the Square Footage is less than 1,000 feet. And they have to get approval from the gaming control board to be implemented in there. Erin supporters say we need the money. Pennsylvania needs the revenue, this is a good way to get more money flooding into the state. How do you respond to that . Maria i think theyre overestimating it. When we went to the Pennsylvania Department of revenue, they told us that the first year over here ending 17, that is going to have a net deficit of, i think its like a half a Million Dollars. But then next year, it has a net profit of 40 million. Then the next year, its 96 million. Theyre predicting 300 million to 500 million, and i dont see where theyre getting that. Erin how much money are we talking about potentially . Mark well, when its fully implemented, to the general fund, conservatively i would say 350 million. I would guesstimate in pennsylvania, since in illinois, vgts are not in the city of chicago, i would suspect wed be at between 450 million and 500 million a year once fully implemented. Erin youre saying that the machines are already in use on kind of an underground level, so any idea how much money you think that the state is losing out on . Mark well, right now, based on those machines, several hundred Million Dollars a year, and thats been going on for decades. I mean itsyou know, it was interesting, the day before we had the hearing on the legislation and the gaming committee, there was a raid in southwestern pennsylvania, where they captured well over 200 machines from various locations in the southwestern pennsylvania. So, theyre out there, the state police have confiscated them. But again, its something that we want to regulate and help not only the local businesses where they are, or where they will be placed, but also our local municipalities and our general fund. Erin supporters are also saying that a lot of these vgts, these machines, are already in use illegally unregulated. This is a way to regulate the machines, bring in money, everybody wins. Maria i dont know if everybody wins. I really dont. I mean, they are illegal. Somebody should be enforcing that if there is illegal machines anywhere. Erin what damage do you think that this bill could do to neighborhoods . You mean, you talked about a concentration in philadelphia, and weve also heard the argument an overconcentration in lowerincome neighborhoods. What can happen with that . Maria i mean, were actually trying to work on legislation to regulate these stopngos. Theyre not illegal, they have manipulated the law. We worry that with this gambling coming in, its going to manipulate the law even more. I dont want to see poor people losing their homes because its so easy now to gamble, you can just walk down their street. Theres no regulation to how close it can be to a church or to a school. They dont have any of that in this bill. They dont even have surveillance cameras in part of this law the way casinos have to have them. And i have a problem with that because that alsonot shows what goes on in there, but whos coming in. Erin supporters say, you know, we have heard this argument, these arguments from the other side for years, even when the casinos wanted to come in. This is nothing new. We need to move forward. How do you respond . Maria okay, most of the operators are coming in from illinois and las vegas. Theyre using illinois, as i said earlier, as the model. They didnt follow the model completely. In illinois, they had a 12 decrease in the lottery. They had a 12 decrease in their harness racing, or their horse racing in general. Two closed down. They had a 21 decline in their casino revenue, even though a new casino opened and they included that revenue. So, i dont see it as a good thing. Im afraid its going to cannibalize the gambling we already have in the state. In bethlehem, mgm was supposed to come in. Minute that they heard the rumor of vgts, they pulled out. Up in adams county, a developer pulled out. So, i think it might be detrimental to the people who have already invested in our state. Mark again, those are the same arguments that were made, you know, with casinos. You know, we have casinos in some really nice areas of pennsylvania, and im told that theres, you know, some that probably arent in the best neighborhoods as well. So, i think at the end of the day, regulating these types of activities that are already going on helps bring them out of the shadows, helps enforcement, and helps gather some revenue obviously that can fix some other issues that we have going on in some of these areas that you talk about. So, i think overall, its a very positive thing. And once we got the legislation out of the house, which we did, now it becomes a real issue. Had we not gotten it out of the house, then were really not here talking about anything. So, now it gives all of us the opportunity to make the legislation better, better for our communities. And i think some of those discussions are taking place right now. Erin so, what happens next . What is the next step . And what do you think the senates going to do . Maria im not sure yet, i know theyre looking at it, im hearing rumors. I dont know if theyre going to be negotiating it. I dont know if theyre going to carve out the vgts. Were all waiting back to see what happens. Mark were talking about, you know, you know, what options may be available to make it more palatable for some of the senators to vote for, what may make it a little bit more palatable or more beneficial financially for some of the local municipalities. Erin steamy, hot, and humid, or wet and wild . What can we expect from the weather this summer . Dont make your big outdoor plans until youve heard glenns summer weather outlook. Thats just ahead. Itmiss hoffman gets usle to mathere safe every time. Mrs. Migliaccio teaches us all about fractions and haikus and the erie canal miss reeves makes us sound amazing. And miss santoro always takes time to see how were doing. Miss simpkins keeps our school looking great. Recess wouldnt be recess without miss basile. And mrs. Mccarthy always has tons of good books to read. Which makes for a pretty good day at school. Erin vacation season is in full swing, and nothing beats time off on a sunny day, right . Remember last year . It was a scorcher with intense heat and little rain. Nbc10s glenn hurricane schwartz has a look back. Glenn schwartz not many of these last summer. It was very dry overall. A drought in the spring, and then it was drier than normal here every month from june to september. As is often the case in dry summers, it was also hot, real hot. In july and august, more than half of the days hit at least 90 degrees. And we had unusually long heat waves in both july and august. Hot, dry summers often lead to the best weather at the shore, and we had a lot of great weather weekends last summer. Great for business too. Not this time. Erin not this time. Nbc10 chief meteorologist glenn hurricane schwartz with me now, thanks for being here. All right, we said intense heat last year, so can we expect more of that this summer . Glenn well, theres going to be obviously some intense heat. Weve already had a halfdozen days in the 90s already. But i dont expect it to be as intense as last year. So last year, we had well over 50 days of 90 degrees or higher. This year, i dont expect 30 to maybe as much as 40. Thats still above normal, so im still expecting a hotter than normal summer. But last summer was exceptionally dry too. And so, the drier the ground is, the more it can heat up. So, they kind of balance out. The more rain you get, the cooler it gets. So, i expect this to be a wetter summer, a much wetter summer than last year too. Erin but still hot. Well, Hurricane Season just started, federal forecasters predicting up to 17 named storms, 4 of them could be major. What is your take on that, why . Glenn yeah, well, the greatest correlation with hurricanes is with what happens in the pacific ocean, called el nino or la nina. Now, when you have the opposite of el nino, la nina, the cool water in the pacific, you get more hurricanes in the tropical atlantic. When you get an el nino, you expect a less active Hurricane Season. So, months ago, we were in a weak el nino, and it looked like it was getting stronger. And so, there were some predictions for an inactive Hurricane Season as a result. Well, now all of a sudden, el ninos kind of disappeared. And so, were back to normal. And the ocean temperatures, theyre also a factor, and they are very high out in the eastern atlantic and part of the caribbean. So, that too is sometimes correlated with above normal activity. Erin so, how is that all going to impact us . I mean, what does this mean for us . Glenn well, weve gone through a lot of years without hits, direct hits in the United States, of hurricanes, especially major hurricanes. Now, sandy weakened from a hurricane, so thats, lets put that off to the side now, so that the patterns are a little bit more favorable for at least threats toward the east coast of the United States at some point this summer. Theres one company that is actually predicting three hurricanes hitting the United States this summer. And they claim that they were the ones that got the forecast for sandy right when a lot of the computer models were saying it was going to go out to sea, so im very curious to see how that forecast does. Erin all right, so i guess well just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out. Glenn yeah, even if you get an inactive season, you know, five or six of them, all it takes is one to come into your area to make it a bad Hurricane Season, so thats why we tell people to be prepared for any kind of Hurricane Season because one could cause all the damage in the world, or 20 of them could all miss. Erin all right, getting back to the summer outlook, a little selfish here, but if youre planning a big backyard barbecue, a big party, whens the best time to do it . Glenn yeah, yeah. Well, generally in the morning. But what happened last year, a lot of people complained about the heat, and farmers were complaining about it being dry, but there were so many great beach weekends. It seemed like every weekend was great at the shore. Well, were not in that kind of pattern anymore. Weve already seen a little bit of that, where its not ideal weekends. And there may be some weekends that are a little even worse than not ideal, but we cannot expect the repeat of those incredible weekends, one after another after another like we had last year. Erin so, we just have to watch your forecast every night. Glenn thats right, we go out to 10 days, so theres always a weekend in our forecast. Erin absolutely, all right, glenn hurricane schwartz, thanks for being here with us. Next, we are Fact Checking president trump. Is he right when he takes credit for a pennsylvania coal mine . Find out when we come right back. Some have it, some dont. When the odds are stacked against you, you either hide or stand up. At Strayer University weve seen it in our students for 125 years. And if you ever think of quitting, our success coaches will be there to pick you up and work with you every day to put you on the right path. Its time. Strayer university. Lets get it, america. Erin putting coal miners back to work, President Donald Trump points to pennsylvania as proof that hes doing just that. But our partners at factcheck. Org say trump had nothing to do with the new coal mine thats up and running near pittsburgh. Nbc10s keith jones has the story. Keith jones President Donald Trump in early june, on the road and taking credit for the opening of the corsa coal companys new deep mine in southwestern pennsylvania. Donald trump were opening a big coal mine, you know about that, one in pennsylvania. Its actually a new mine. That hadnt happened in a long time, folks. But were putting the peoplewere putting the miners back to work. Keith what did the president have to do with the opening . Nothing according to factcheck. Org. Construction of the mine began in september, 2 months before the election. Robert farley so, trumps efforts to ease regulation on the coal Mining Industry had nothing to do with the decision to develop this mine. Keith Industry Experts tell factcheck. Org the new mine, which is expected to create as many as 100 jobs, is not evidence of a resurgence in coal mining. Its producing a particular type of coal thats used to make steel. Experts say theres been a surge in demand for this type of coal because of production problems overseas. The vast majority of coal produced in the United States is called thermal coal. Robert and its the kind of coal thats used to generate electricity. The consumption of that kind of coal has dropped nearly 20 over the last few years, and its contributed to the loss of tens of thousands of coal mining jobs. Keith according to experts, a surge in cheap natural gas and competition from renewables like solar energy are the main reasons Coal Production is declining. To a smaller extent, says factcheck. Org, federal regulations have hurt the coal Mining Industry. Robert however, a recent Columbia University analysis found that even in a bestcase scenario, trumps efforts to ease these regulations would perhaps stem the decline in production of coal, but that there wouldnt be a return to the level of coal mining jobs that we saw even just a few years ago. Keith keith jones, nbc10 news. Erin now, a recent report from the Nonprofit Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis also predicts a dim future for jobs in coal mining. Researchers say by next year, more than 50 coal fire generating units and electricity plants across the country will either be closed, scaled back, or converted to natural gas. At ikea, we believe that everything you need should be within reach. In an affordable dream kitchen that works as hard as you do. Save up to 15 at the ikea kitchen event. At ikea, we believe that everything you need should be within reach. In an affordable dream kitchen that works as hard as you do. Save up to 15 at the ikea kitchen event. Erin if youre active duty in the military, listen up, you and your family can visit nearly 20 museums in philadelphia for free. The offer through Blue Star Families holds from now until labor day. The list includes the African American museum, the barnes foundation, National Constitution center, the National Museum of American Jewish history, and the Philadelphia Museum of art. For a complete list of the free Philadelphia Museums, just go to the nbc10 app. Well, thats it for this edition of nbc10 issue. Im erin coleman, thank you for joining us. And to all you dads out there, happy fathers day. And before we say goodbye, a special shout out to my dad, evrod coleman. Got to love those shots from the 70s. Happy fathers day. You know youre whenwatching televisionl, that is educational and informational. The more you know on nbc. All across america, people are dedicating their lives to giving back. Youre gonna make me cry. [ laughs ] from executive producer, blair underwood, this is give. [ cheers and applause ] thank you so much. Each week on give blair. [ cheering ] jenna bush hager, or one of their celebrity friends drop in on two small but mighty charities that are making a big impact. Can you believe that, from the pit to the palace . Theyll discover what makes these charities so effective and what they each need to do even more good. Good boy. Working with some of the worlds greatest givers, our Celebrity Ambassadors will have to make tough decisions on how to distribute Grant Funding between the two charities
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