RICHMOND, VA — A recommendation by the Resources Subcommittee to continue the casino referendum bill into next year was the only option for lawmakers to act on, Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), who chairs the Virginia Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, said Friday.
“The subcommittee recommended that the bill be carried over for the year. There is not another plan,” Lucas said.
Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon) had reached out to Lucas, who chairs both the resources subcommittee and finance committee, and asked whether there was another effort to not follow the subcommittee’s recommendation, and proceed with a casino vote this year.
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Last Thursday, the resources subcommittee voted 4-0 to hold over Senate Bill 675 for the next legislative session. Boysko and Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-Fairfax) emailed constituents on Friday to remind them that SB 675 was not dead. While it was rare for a committee to reject the subcommittee’s recommendation, it is possible for the finance committee to do that.
During session, the finance committee meets Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Both houses of the legislature have a Jan. 13 deadline to finish work on the bills they will send to the other house for the second half of the 2024 legislative session.
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As of 10 a.m. on Monday, the agendas for the Tuesday and Wednesday for the finance and appropriations committee meetings had not been posted.
During Saturday’s town hall at McLean High School, Boysko said the committee would hear the bill on Tuesday.
Opponents of the casino referendum bill plan to be in Richmond on Tuesday to demonstrate their opposition to SB 675. The buses will leave from Reston and McLean early in the morning. Anyone who would like to participate needs to sign up by 2 p.m. on Monday.
$311K In Donations To Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee
Since the beginning of 2023, Comstock Holding Companies, the developer behind SB 675, has contributed a total of $311,000 nine of the 15 members of the senate finance committee.
Below are the donations made by Comstock Holdings CEO Christopher Clemente and the company’s political action committee, Building a Remarkable Virginia. It also includes a donation from the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s PAC (NOVABIZPAC) that was authorized by Nick Clemente, Christopher Clemente’s son.
TOTAL: $153,500
Back in September, Patch reported that Chris Clemente and his father-in-law Dwight Schlar hosted fundraisers for House Minority Leader Don Scott (D-Plymouth) and Senate Democratic Caucus Leader Scott Surovell (D-Alexanderia).
Following the Nov. 7 election, Scott and Surovell became the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader, respectively, in the Virginia General Assembly. Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke), who introduced SB 675 on Jan. 17, also had a fundraiser hosted by Clemente and Schlar.
* Both Marsden and Surovell, who are on the appropriations committee received:
TOTAL: $160,000 + $153,500 = $313,500
Related:
Read all of Patch’s reporting on Comstock Companies’ plan to build a casino on Metro’s Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.
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