Leaders of the Maryland House of Delegates thwarted efforts last night to weaken a bill that would legalize slot machines, setting the stage for a pivotal vote today on Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s signature initiative.
Lawmakers said they could not predict the fate of the slots proposal, which has consumed the legislature for more than two years. They estimated that as many as 40 of the 141 delegates remained on the fence about slots.
Defending an amendment, Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Montgomery) told lawmakers "organized gambling is a shark swimming in Maryland waters."
(Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)
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"It will all hang on tomorrow," House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said last night. "This is a vote that was going to come one day, whether it was this year, next year, or the following year."
The House proposal would legalize the machines for the first time since 1968 and allow 9,500 at four locations -- in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Frederick and Harford counties. The bulk of the earnings would be spent on school construction projects, but tens of millions of dollars also would be dedicated to slots vendors, horse-racing purses and renovations to horse tracks.
Efforts to change the bill came from all directions during last night's often-tense, two-hour floor session. Some of the six proposed amendments were tailored to give specific interest groups a greater share of the state's proceeds, which could exceed $700 million a year. Others appeared to aim at peeling away support for the bill.
One particularly bitter clash came as an black lawmaker from Baltimore tried to add a provision that would direct 1.5 percent of the slots earnings to minority-owned businesses. The proposal triggered an angry reaction from other black delegates, who signaled that they did not appreciate being forced to choose between their loyalty to the minority community and to House leaders who repeatedly urged members to resist every attempt to change the bill.
An effort to add language to the bill that would prohibit gambling interests from contributing to state political campaigns also prompted a heated discussion. When one delegate argued that the amendment would unfairly target the gambling industry, Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Montgomery) answered sharply.
"He says a shark is a fish and a minnow is a fish, and we shouldn't distinguish between the two," Simmons said. "Ladies and gentlemen, organized gambling is a shark swimming in Maryland waters."
The amendment failed on a rare tie vote, 66 to 66.
The amendments largely reflected the vast array of interests surrounding the slots debate. Lobbyists for those groups were working overtime yesterday. They cornered delegates in elevators. With snow falling outside, they trailed lawmakers through the underground tunnel connecting the House office building to the capitol.
One was Joseph A. Schwartz, a lobbyist for tavern owners, who feared that slots would cut into his clients' Keno and lottery revenue. "I'm trying to amend the bill," he said. "Isn't everybody?"
Opponents of slots, many of whom were becoming increasingly resigned to defeat, were working on their own proposed changes. James Browning of Common Cause/Maryland said he was urging lawmakers to support Simmons's ban on political contributions and an amendment making it illegal for lawmakers to own a stake in a slots emporium.
"If the horse is already out of the barn, at least you can try and keep it from burning down," he said.
Other opponents continued to try to rally the votes needed to defeat the measure, directing more than 250 e-mails to undecided delegates and hundreds of phone calls to their offices.
