Lawmakers: Protect Small Businesses From Casino Impacts
With Massachusetts moving toward casino gambling, area lawmakers - no matter how they voted on the legislation that was signed in November - said it's important that small businesses be protected against the potential impact of a resort casino that might be sited in Central Massachusetts.
That impact is State Sen. James Eldridge's biggest concern. The Acton Democrat, appearing this morning at a legislative breakfast sponsored by the Corridor Nine Area Chamber of Commerce in Westborough with six other lawmakers, fears the loss of dollars patrons would take to casinos rather than spend at, say, local entertainment venues, such as theaters.
State Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, also cited the potential impact on infrastructure, such as roads and water supply. That, she said, would affect residents and businesses in neighboring communities who would not have a say on the siting of a casino in a nearby town. (The legislation requires a ballot referendum only in the city or town where the facility would be located.)
"It's important that we do it right," added State Rep. Matthew Beaton, R-Shrewsbury.
The lawmakers, who addressed a gathering of about 250 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough, also touched on health care costs, unemployment insurance rates, and public transportation, three issues that directly affect businesses in the region.
On health care, State Sen. Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, predicted that Massachusetts will do away with the traditional "fee for service" model of providing health care as a way to lower costs. "Cost is killing us," she said. Meanwhile, Dykema, citing that Massachusetts recently fell from the costliest state for health care to ninth, called it a "good thing" that insurers have begun pushing back at providers to help lower and control costs.
On unemployment insurance rates paid by employers, which the House and Senate last week voted to freeze, State Rep. George Peterson, R- Grafton, said the Legislature is looking at a bill that would offer a break to companies that don't have a strong history of layoffs.
Lawmakers cited the importance of public transit, especially the planned addition of train service on the Worcester and Framingham commuter rail line, but Peterson and Beaton both cited the need to take a harder look at operations at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which is looking to either raise fares or cut service to deal with a budget shortfall. In spite of that, the MBTA will not go back on a pledge to add more trains to the commuter rail line, according to State Sen. Michael Moore, D-Millbury.
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