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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The diversity of the Texas economy helps the state |
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weather downturns in the business environment at the national |
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level, yet communities in the Lone Star State continue to seek ways |
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to ensure that they have sufficient resources to provide necessary |
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services; studies indicate that the gaming industry has the |
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potential to bring billions of tax dollars into Texas while |
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creating jobs and boosting local economies; and |
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WHEREAS, Estimates of Texans' annual discretionary spending |
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for gaming range from $4 billion to $6 billion, but the tax dollars |
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generated currently go to Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and |
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other states with highly developed gaming industries; and |
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WHEREAS, Tax revenues that Texas could gain from gaming |
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exceed $1 billion annually, factoring in the effects of the |
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construction of destination resort casinos, the licensing of |
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gambling at the state's Indian reservations, and the installation |
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of casino-style gaming at existing licensed horse and greyhound |
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racetracks; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas remains fiscally conservative, with a |
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pro-business regulatory and tax system that encourages job growth, |
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but in order to produce the well-educated workforce required to |
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compete in an increasingly global economy, the state must continue |
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to invest in our public education system; should Texas be required |
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to increase its funding of public schools, one of the options that |
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must be given consideration by the legislature is the recapture of |
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revenue leaving our state because of our current prohibition on |
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gaming; and |
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WHEREAS, Communities with racetracks are presently losing |
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business to other states where racetracks offer consumers |
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alternative gaming opportunities, and the state's racehorse |
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industry is losing business to competitors in states where income |
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from casino gaming at racetrack facilities supports breeding |
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programs and higher purses; and |
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WHEREAS, Development of destination resort casinos would |
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exert an economic stimulus in surrounding communities, initially |
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through construction employment and later through employment not |
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only at the casinos but also in the retail, restaurant, recreation, |
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convention, and other tourist businesses that would soon flourish; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In order to maximize the economic benefits of the |
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gaming industry to the state and to local communities, Texas must |
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develop a comprehensive and coherent strategy that considers such |
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aspects as the areas of the state that would be most suitable for |
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specific types of gaming facilities, the types of gaming that would |
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be of economic benefit to individual communities, and the types of |
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gaming that would provide maximum financial benefit to the state; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The vast potential for new tax revenue streams and |
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economic stimulus demands a careful evaluation of the business |
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environments in individual communities and of the direct and |
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indirect benefits of the gaming industry to those communities and |
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to the state; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully request the lieutenant governor and the speaker |
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of the house of representatives to create a joint interim committee |
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to study the gaming industry in Texas and its potential direct and |
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indirect economic impact on specific markets and on the state as a |
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whole; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That any study or report on the gaming industry |
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expansion into Texas include a cost-benefit analysis that considers |
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both the social and economic costs related to the expansion of |
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casino-style gambling, the effect on existing sales tax revenue, |
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and the effect on Texas lottery sales, as well as an analysis of the |
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tax rates on dollars wagered in the casino business model and the |
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effect on the existing local economies and family-friendly tourism; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That any study or report also include a complete |
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analysis of any agreements between the State of Texas and Indian |
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tribes regarding historic or real properties of Indian tribes in |
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the state, and that the analysis include but not be limited to a |
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complete review of Indian gaming expansion across the United |
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States, including current litigation and case law, and how Indian |
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historic and real properties have been leveraged to expand casino |
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gaming into areas that had not been previously considered Indian |
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land; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be |
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governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim |
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committees as the 83rd Legislature may adopt; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including |
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findings and recommendations, to the 84th Texas Legislature when it |
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convenes in January 2015. |