Politics & Government

Bid to Reconsider Casino Bill Fails

The bill proposed two casino locations with 5,000 slots and 240 table games.

The state House of Representatives voted 192 to 172 on May 7 to rejected a bid to reconsider a casino gambling bill that was killed last week.

Rep. Ken Weyler, R-Kingston, argued in a floor fight that reconsideration was important for a state looking for revenues. 

Per House rules for reconsideration, lawmakers were limited to speaking about the motion at hand, and not the guts of the proposed gambling legislation, and around a dozen proposed amendments to it.

Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett, implored House members to reject reconsideration.

"This is not the way that we do business in the House," Hess said. "This is momentous legislation. Whether you're for casinos or against casinos you know this is a big deal."

The House voted 173-173 to find the bill "inexpedient to legislate." Though it was not a motion to pass the casino bill, it was one of the closest votes on gambling legislation in the 400-member House of Representatives, which has never passed an expanded gambling bill.

The latest bill proposed two casino locations for a total of 5,000 slot machines and up to 240 table games.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here