Shortly after the Senate’s 24-14 vote to approve casino legislation, Senate President Therese Murray’s office released a list of those who voted against the bill. The list included Cape and Islands Senator Dan Wolf.
One of the bill’s most vocal opponents, former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, president of Citizens for a Stronger Massachusetts, released a statement after the vote. “We are, of course, disappointed with the Senate’s vote to follow the House in approving a bill which, if it becomes law, will irreparably and undeniably hurt the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. After weeks of so-called ‘debate,’ the process now goes back behind closed doors where key differences in this bill will be hammered out the same way the bill was written — in secret, with no transparency or public voice.”
The bill’s supporters are eager to launch a new industry with thousands of jobs and a new revenue stream for government, and say the issue has been debated extensively over the years as well as this session during a public hearing and on the floors of the House and Senate.
