Hawaii

New Developments (updated 4/20/01)

Gaming study proposed: Hawaii Senate President Robert Bunda wanted to form a special Senate committee this year to study the issue of gaming.

The state, he said, should study legalized gaming as a means of generating additional tax revenue to cover increased public education costs and pay raises for state workers.

The committee would "conduct a comprehensive study on the economic impact of legalized gambling in Hawaii, from a lottery to casino gaming," according to Bunda.

The Senate must approve a resolution before such a study can commence. Senate Resolution 91 directed Bunda to appoint an interim committee to conduct a study on the economic impacts of legalized gaming in Hawaii. It required the committee to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Senate no later than 20 days before the start of the 2002 legislative session.

A Senate committee killed the resolution on April 11, and Sen. Bunda's office said the issue is dead for this year.