NH Council of Churches - Expanded Gambling Alert - Act Now!

ALERT:

NH Senate Considers
 17,000 Slot machines
+ 900 table games in NH
Amendment Directs $50 M in Revenue to DHHS

Hearing Tomorrow, March 4
Please Take Action

 
A bill to permit six casinos (1 in Hudson, 3 at the tracks, 1 each in Coos and Grafton Counties) and a total of 17,000 slot machines in New Hampshire will be heard in the Senate Finance Committee:

Thursday, March 4
10:30 am
Room 100, State House

If passed, SB489 would make NH second in slots per capita only behind Nevada. The bill would also permit up to 900 tables of table gambling among the 6 casinos.

An amendment to SB489 will be offered to direct $50 million of the gambling revenue to fund the Department of Health and Human Services. Social service groups are being solicited to support this bargain with the devil: social poison for program funding.

 

SB489 would fund social services by making gambling addicts out of 10,000 more of our citizens (who will in turn negatively impact the lives of 50,000 - 100,000 more family members, friends, and workplace associates) and cause almost 7,000 more serious crimes (rape, violent assault, robbery, workplace embezzlement) each year. Find sources for these projections at NoSlots.com.

 
Against the backdrop of a down economy, a critical shortage of revenue to fund the state budget, and a reluctance by policy-makers to examine other significant sources of revenue to prevent cuts to critical services and infrastructure, expanded gambling this year may prove irresistible.
 
If stopping expanded gambling is a priority for your denomination, the time to act is now. Here is how you can help:
 
-- Forward this information to your clergy and membership to inform and alert them to the proposal and new threat of passage
-- Denominational leaders may wish to testify on behalf of your denomination at the hearing, making it as factual and as specific to impacts on your constituencies as possible;
-- Encourage your members to attend the hearing to sign up in opposition to the bill
-- Encourage your members to contact their State Senators about SB489 (see list below of Senate members and contact info).
 
New information is available at the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling website. You can also view materials at the NH Gaming Study Commission website.

NH Senate Contacts with Towns Listed   John Gallus (Berlin) (H) (603)752-1066; (O) (603)271-3077 john.gallus@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Albany, Atkinson and Gilmanton Academy, Bartlett, Bean's Grant, Bean's Purchase, Berlin, Bethlehem, Cambridge, Carroll, Chandler's Purchase, Clarksville, Colebrook, Columbia, Crawford's Purchase, Cutt's Grant, Dalton, Dix's Grant, Dixville, Dummer, Errol, Erving's Location, Franconia, Gorham, Green's Grant, Hadley's Purchase, Hale's Location, Hart's Location, Jackson, Jefferson, Kilkenny, Lancaster, Lincoln, Lisbon, Littleton, Livermore, Low and Burbank's Grant, Lyman, Martin's Location, Milan, Millsfield, Northumberland, Odell, Pinkham's Grant, Pittsburg, Randolph, Sargent's Purchase, Second College Grant, Shelburne, Stark, Stewartstown, Stratford, Success, Sugar Hill, Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, Waterville Valley, Wentworth Location and Whitefield. Deborah Reynolds (Plymouth) (H) (603)536-5553; (O) (603)271-3042 deb.reynolds@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Alexandria, Ashland, Bath, Benton, Bridgewater, Bristol, Campton, Canaan, Center Harbor, Dorchester, Easton, Ellsworth, Groton, Haverhill, Hebron, Holderness, Landaff, Lyme, Meredith, Monroe, New Hampton, Orange, Orford, Piermont, Plymouth, Rumney, Sanbornton, Thornton, Warren, Wentworth and Woodstock. Kathleen Sgambati (Tilton) (H) (603)286-8931; (O) (603)271-2641 kathleen.sgambati@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Alton, Barnstead, Belmont, Gilford, Gilmanton, Laconia, New Durham, Strafford and Tilton. Matthew Houde (Meriden) (H) (603)504-2744; (O) (603)271-2104 Matthew.Houde@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Andover, Cornish, Croydon, Danbury, Enfield, Franklin, Grafton, Grantham, Hanover, Hill, Lebanon, Plainfield, Springfield and Wilmot. Jacalyn Cilley (Barrington) (H) (603)664-5597; (O) (603)271-2642 jacalyn.cilley@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Barrington, Madbury, Nottingham, Rochester and Somersworth. Harold Janeway (Webster) (O) (603)271-7585 harold.janeway@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Antrim, Bennington, Boscawen, Bradford, Canterbury, Deering, Francestown, Hancock, Harrisville, Henniker, Hillsborough, Loudon, Nelson, Northfield, Salisbury, Warner, Weare, Webster and Windsor. Bob Odell (Lempster) (H) (603)863-9797; (O) (603)271-6733 bob.odell@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Claremont, Gilsum, Goshen, Langdon, Lempster, Marlow, New London, Newbury, Newport, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Sutton, Unity, Walpole, Washington and Westmoreland. Sheila Roberge (Bedford) (H) (603)472-8391 sheila.roberge@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Bedford, Greenfield, Lyndeborough, Merrimack, Mont Vernon and New Boston. Molly Kelly (Keene) (H) (603)357-5118; (O) (603)271-4153 molly.kelly@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Chesterfield, Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Hinsdale, Keene, Marlborough, Richmond, Surry, Swanzey, Troy and Winchester. Peter Bragdon (Milford) (H): (603) 673-6730; (O) (603)271-2675 peter.bragdon@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Amherst, Greenville, Jaffrey, Milford, New Ipswich, Peterborough, Rindge, Sharon, Temple and Wilton. Peggy Gilmour (Hollis) (H) (603)465-2336; (O) (603)271-3569 Peggy.Gilmour@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Brookline, Hollis, Mason, and Wards 1, 2, 5, and 9 in the city of Nashua. Bette Lasky (Nashua) H) (603)888-5557; (O) (603)271-2735 Bette.Lasky@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Wards 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 in the city of Nashua Sharon Carson (Londonderry) (O) (603)271-2674 Sharon.Carson@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Auburn, Hudson and Londonderry. Sylvia Larsen (Concord) (H) (603)225-6130; (O) (603)271-2111 sylvia.larsen@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Concord, Hopkinton and Pembroke. David Boutin (Manchester) (H) (603)485-5153 dboutin1465@comcast.net Represents: Bow, Candia, Dunbarton, Hooksett and Wards 1, 2 and 12 in the city of Manchester. John Barnes, Jr. (Raymond) (H) (603)895-9352; (O) (603)271-6931 jack.barnes@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Allenstown, Brentwood, Chester, Chichester, Danville, Deerfield, Epsom, Fremont, Northwood, Pittsfield, Raymond and Sandown. Betsi DeVries (Manchester)  (O) (603)271-6933 betsi.devries@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Litchfield and Wards 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 in the city of Manchester. Robert Letourneau (Derry) (O) (603)271-2118 robert.letourneau@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Derry, Hampstead and Windham. Lou D'Allesandro (Manchester) (H) (603)669-3494; (O) (603)271-2600 dalas@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Goffstown and Wards 3, 4, 10 and 11 in the city of Manchester. Amanda Merrill (Durham) (H) (603)868-2491; (O) (603)271-7803 Amanda.Merrill@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Dover, Durham, Epping, Lee and Rollinsford. Michael Downing (Salem) (O) (603)271-8630 michael.downing@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Atkinson, Pelham, Plaistow and Salem. Maggie Hassan  (Exeter) (H) (603)772-4187; (O) (603)271-2106 maggie.hassan@leg.state.nh.us Represents: East Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, Kingston, Newfields, Newmarket, Newton, Seabrook, South Hampton and Stratham. Martha Fuller Clark (Portsmouth) (O) (603)271-4152 martha.fullerclark@leg.state.nh.us Represents: Greenland, Hampton, Hampton Falls, New Castle, Newington, North Hampton, Portsmouth and Rye.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: GAMBLING

Governor's Commission to Hold
Public Hearings April 6

The NH Gaming Study Commission will hold public hearings tentatively in Concord and Conway on April 6. Exact time and location to be posted. We will inform as we learn of these locations.