SB437 HFA Fluharty, Storch, Ferro and Canestraro 3-28

Delegates Fluharty, Storch, Ferro and Canestraro move to amend the bill on page 16, section 10a, following line 22, by inserting a new subsection to read as follows:

“(d) The West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research and the Center for Business and Economic Research at Marshall University in furtherance of section four, article three, chapter eighteen-b of this code shall study the economic impacts of Enrolled Senate Bill 437 as enacted during the 2017 Regular Session of the West Virginia Legislature. The study shall include analysis of:

(1) The impacts of the losses of employment of the estimated seventeen hundred jobs in the casino industry to the communities in West Virginia where the casinos are located;

(2) The costs to state government for unemployment compensation and other assistance to unemployed workers due to the loss of these jobs;

(3) The impact to state tourism from persons visiting our casinos because of dog track racing;

(4) The loss of revenue in other gambling at casinos by persons betting on other games beside dog track racing;

(5) The impact to the state budget as it relates to loss of revenues from dog racing;

(6) Impacts on city police and firefighters pension contributions;

(7) The impact to local government due to loss of tax revenue and local share contributions; and

(8) Any and all other identifiable impacts to the state.

(e) The study mandated by this section shall be provided to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance of the West Virginia Legislature by December 31, 2017.”