I believe that it takes a group effort working toward common goals to make a community shine. Below are links to stories that demonstrate the ongoing work to make our communities the best that they can be. Please contact my office for more information about these stories or if I may assist you with any state-related matter.
Pa. casinos spend over $1 million to lobby in 09
From CashAtCasinos.com
Pennsylvania casinos have spent more than $1 million this year to lobby lawmakers and state officials as they sought to influence legislation to both expand their business and bring on potential competition.
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Pa. gambling lessons from a great educator
From The Philadelphia Inquirer
Octogenarian lawyer Richard A. Sprague delights in filleting witnesses. But last week, he was the one getting grilled.
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Sprague quizzed at Harrisburg hearing
From The Philadelphia Inquirer
For more than two hours yesterday, two dozen legislators grilled veteran Philadelphia lawyer Richard A. Sprague, wanting to know just what his group - the Pennsylvania Casino Association - was up to.
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Casino group defends its lack of lobbying regulation
From The Scranton Times-Tribune
A state casino association raised more than $1.5 million since its formation in 2007, but its top officials maintained Tuesday that their activities fall outside the scope of the state lobbyist disclosure law.
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Casino association tells state gaming panel it isn't lobbying
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pennsylvania Casino Association is merely a trade group for three casinos in the state and hasn't made any extensive efforts to influence or lobby the Legislature, a Philadelphia lawyer who founded the group in 2007 said Tuesday.
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Pennsylvania Republicans want to guarantee right to buy health care
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
About 30 state House Republican lawmakers on Wednesday urged passage of legislation that would guarantee Pennsylvanians the right to choose health care plans, regardless of federal mandates.
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Phila.-area lawmakers lose fight against table games
From The Philadelphia Inquirer
For weeks, more than a dozen lawmakers from the Philadelphia area led the fight against legislation to expand gambling in Pennsylvania.
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House approves table games
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Break out the dice. Get ready to spin the roulette wheel and look for jacks to go with aces. Table games will soon be coming to a casino near you.
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Senate passes table-games bill
From The Philadelphia Inquirer
The state Senate tonight approved long-awaited legislation legalizing table games at slots parlors, clearing the way for final passage in the House tomorrow.
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State Senate approves table games
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A bill to legalize blackjack, poker and other table games at Pennsylvania casinos took a step forward this evening, as the state Senate approved it 28-22.
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Pa. Senate passes table games; House to vote
From The Associated Press
A six-month push to add table games such as poker and blackjack to Pennsylvania's slots casinos headed into the homestretch with Senate passage of a compromise bill.
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Table games would pave way for lawmakers' pet causes
From The Associated Press
A heavily negotiated bill that would deliver poker, craps and other table games to Pennsylvania's casinos is also now the latest method for state lawmakers to deliver on their pet projects.
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Amendment would give Foxwoods another year's extension
From The Philadelphia Inquirer
The faltering Foxwoods casino would get an extra year to be up and running under a provision tucked into a bill to add table games at Pennsylvania slots parlors.
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Good government groups call for constitutional convention
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A coalition of good-government groups today issued 131-page call to action aimed at drumming up support for a constitutional convention to make government more accountable and to protect against abuses of power.
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