State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, has filed amendments that she says would make the casinos bill moving through the legislature more friendly to nearby communities.
Spilka’s amendments would expand the power to make decisions about casinos sites beyond host communities to surrounding cities and towns. They would also require a newly created Gaming Commission to consider local public sentiment and concerns about concentration of gaming establishments when making its decisions. The amendments also require casino applicants to pay for costs incurred by communities during the negotiation process.
The state Senate is scheduled to begin debating the bill on Monday.
