Markup Not Likely for McDermott's Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act
September 28 2010, Matthew Kredell
Rep. Jim McDermott's Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act will not get a markup in the House Ways and Means Committee prior to the November elections, according to a spokesman for the congressman.
The spokesman cited a lack of time in the committee schedule. The House adjourns October 8 -- the end of next week -- to prepare for the elections.
The markup is seen as the next step in a long road to federally licensed and regulated Internet poker. McDermott's bill is a companion piece to Barney Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, which was passed by the House Financial Services Committee in July.
McDermott doesn't have the authority of Frank, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, to call for a markup on his own. The order must come from Ways and Means chairman Sander Levin (D-Mich.).
There is still a chance for the markup to be held following the Nov. 2 elections, when Congress is expected to return for a lame-duck session. McDermott's representative said the congressman would like to see the bill advance before the end of the year, though he cautioned that time is running out and the amount of legislation awaiting action is very large.
Not getting the markup done before the end of the regular congressional schedule just adds to the already long odds for federal Internet poker legislation to pass through both houses in the little time remaining this year. Bills must begin from scratch each year, and the elections could have a significant impact on how the legislation will be received next session.
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Comments
As far as I have been told (after having called McDermott's and Frank's office), what everyone should pay attention to are Frank's bills and not McDermott's. What should take place is a vote on one of the two pieces of legislation that Frank has introduced for internet gambling legalization and then there will be a vote on the federal taxation. As the article said, Sander Levin in that committee is not going to markup a politically sensitive bill when there remains uncertainty as to whether the legalization of gambling will even take a vote, especially before an election. Also, on the internet I read there was speculation that Frank's bill might be attached to a form of tax relief post election November, which obviously improves its chances. As everyone knows, there is no expected vote on tax relief pre election as neither party has enough votes for passage. In my opinion, with GDP forecasts expected to put us in near recession levels again with an expiration to those taxes, there remains a possibility that online gambling will be coupled with a tax cut as the passage of nothing at all is really not an option for Washington.
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