Massachusetts Anti-Casino Ballot Question Gets Nixed by State AG
A citizens’ anti-gambling effort has been shot down by the State’s Attorney General
While the state of Massachusetts is gearing up for rapid expansion of gambling in the state, not everybody has been excited about the move. This is exactly why some anti-gambling activists there have produced a petition in an effort to force a statewide vote on whether or not the casino projects would be able to maneuver forward.
Those that are against the new casinos were able to gather sufficient signatures to send the ballot question forward to the attorney general’s office. But unfortunately for them, the state solicitor but a stop to your move, saying that the ballot question would not be legal under the state’s ballot initiative process.
Constitutional Provisions Preclude Ballot Question
The ballot initiative process is covered by Article 48 under the current state Constitution. That article not just describes the process for getting concern in the ballot, but also establishes exactly what can and can not be included in such questions. One of the guidelines for proposals says that they cannot restrict an entity’s ‘right to get payment for personal property appropriated to public use’.
In accordance with state solicitor Peter Sacks, if the concern were to be approved by the public, thus closing the casino deals immediately, it would simply take the casino developers’ contract rights away with no payment. It would also ‘impair the contracts that are implied between the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and the ones designers, who have paid millions in application fees towards the state. 继续阅读“Massachusetts Anti-Casino Ballot Question Gets Nixed by State AG”