CLINTON — A deal is close on legislation to give the state control of Atlantic City’s gaming district and deregulate the casinos, Gov. Chris Christie said today. "We are very close to a final deal with the Legislature," Christie said at a town hall meeting in Clinton. Democrats, however, are pushing for horse racing to also be included in...
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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appears at a Statehouse news conference in October. CLINTON — A deal is close on legislation to give the state control of Atlantic City’s gaming district and deregulate the casinos, Gov. Chris Christie said today.
"We are very close to a final deal with the Legislature," Christie said at a town hall meeting in Clinton.
Democrats, however, are pushing for horse racing to also be included in a deal on Atlantic City legislation, after a study recommended the state scrap racing at the Meadowlands and eventually sell both state-owned tracks.
If an agreement isn’t reached today that also addresses the future of horse racing, the Meadowlands could be permanently affected, state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union). He said today is the deadline for the park to set its schedule and purses for January, Lesniak said. Without an agreement, the schedule will be suspended and owners will take their horses elsewhere to race, he said.
Forcing a suspension of racing is equivalent to "killing racing," Lesniak said.
Last week Christie vetoed the Meadowlands schedule, saying more time was needed to review the results of a study that recommended the state get out of the horse business.
At the town hall meeting, Christie said the agreement on legislation to overhaul Atlantic City would dismantle the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority, which he described as wasteful and not accomplishing the goal of promoting the gambling town nationwide.
Christie said the compromise would also deregulate the casinos. Such a move would save casinos $15 million to $60 million but they would be required to spend the money on advertising the seaside resort, the governor said. Advertising is crucial, Christie said, because New Jersey has something none of the other gambling cities can produce: the Atlantic Ocean.
"As hard as the Poconos will try, they cannot move the Atlantic Ocean to the Poconos," he said.
Christie today called on the Assembly to push back their holiday break by a week to vote on the bill Monday and get the legislation approved by Christmas.
"If the Assembly will come to work next Monday, the Senate will have bills that I am confident I will sign," Christie said.
The Assembly, which recessed Monday for the remainder of the month, is not planning to change its schedule, said Assembly Democratic spokesman Tom Hester Jr.
Taking a card from the governor’s play book, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) said the governor’s remaining "tool kit" pieces on property taxes and affordable housing reform should come first.
"We look forward to continuing to work with the governor this week to turn our reforms into law," Oliver said. "My immediate concern is finding a way forward on civil service reform that protects our taxpayers from corruption and housing reform that spurs economic development while meeting constitutional muster. Once we do that, we’ll decide that next step."