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Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Push to ban smoking at R.I.'s casinos reignites at the State House
Bill DelSanto, a table dealer at Bally's Twin River casino in Lincoln, speaks in favor of banning smoking inside the state's two casinos before the House Committee on Finance on April 10, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Vanessa Baker brought more than just testimony to the State House basement Thursday. She came armed with inhalers, eye drops, nose spray, and ibuprofen, the medication she relies on to treat the constant symptoms triggered by lingering cigarette smoke at Bally's casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton, where she works as an iGaming supervisor. There was a time she was able to stop using them: when Bally's temporarily banned smoking after it reopened Rhode Island's two casinos which had been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But those rules were lifted by March 2022. 'It took me nine months to get put back on all that medication and I had to take a sick leave of absence for six months to get my lungs back to where I could work,' Baker told the House Committee on Finance. 'There's no safe ventilation that's protecting us.' Which is why she and other employees are once again pushing lawmakers to pass a bill sponsored by Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat, that would put an end to Bally's two-decade exemption from the state's indoor smoking ban. It's a proposal Tanzi has filed each session since 2021, usually stalling at the committee level, although House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi allowed a symbolic vote to advance the bill last year. He is now one of the 10 cosponsors listed on the latest edition of the bill. 'I hope we will pass some version of the bill this year,' Shekarchi said in an emailed statement Friday. Tanzi's bill has the backing of 55 of the chamber's 75 members. The growing support in the House mirrors overall sentiment in Rhode Island. The AFL-CIO in February released a poll that found nearly 7 in 10 survey respondents 'strongly' or 'somewhat' supported a smoking ban at the state's two casinos. Rep. George Nardone, a Coventry Republican, told the Bally's representative before him Thursday that he continues to 'draw the short straw' in testifying against the proposal. 'It's cruel to make people that are not smokers have to inhale some and work in [that] environment — and they have to stay there based on their job,' he said. 'I think the state made a mistake giving you guys an exemption.' But the company remains firmly opposed to the annual proposal. Craig Sculos, Bally's senior vice president of Rhode Island Regulatory Relations, told the committee that allowing smoking attracts customers coming in from out of state. Massachusetts does not allow smoking at any of its casinos, nor is it allowed at the two tribal-run facilities in Connecticut. 'Should all the regional casinos maintain a non-smoking policy, players are expected to do what players normally do: They'll go to the casino that's closest,' Sculos said. He argued that the smoking sections of the casinos generate more revenue than the non-smoking areas, pointing to slot machines that average $200 more in daily play within the smoking zones. 'You set the floor like you set a menu in your restaurant, you set based upon player demand,' Sculos said. 'If we were to see capacity switch the other way — we would make that change.' Matt Dunham, president of Table Game Dealers Laborers Local 711, refuted the idea that smoking provides Bally's a market advantage over its neighbors. He called Bally's a 'casino of convenience' — central, away from Boston traffic, and allows people as young as 18 to play. 'It is not because people can smoke while they are in the building,' he said. 'And I can all but guarantee that the same customers will still be there, they'll just be smoking outside of the buildings.' Sculos said rules already prohibit patrons from smoking directly at gaming tables and employees can request non-smoking areas as shift availability allows. But those shifts aren't easy to get. Bill DelSanto, a table dealer at Bally's Twin River Casino in Lincoln, told the finance committee those shifts are given based on seniority. Beverage server Karen Gorman also told lawmakers that trying to pick up non-smoking shifts isn't an option at the Tiverton location where she works. 'Even if I had that ability, I would still have to walk through the smoke,' she said. 'I don't want to get cancer. I want to feed my family, I want to buy groceries, I want to pay for my daughter's taekwondo, and for a college education.' Tanzi's bill was held for further study by the committee, as is standard for an initial vetting by a legislative panel. Companion legislation introduced Feb. 7 by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, a South Kingstown Democrat, has yet to be scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Committee on Labor and Gaming. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bill advances to support film, TV productions
ZACH DUGAN / FOX Local actor Kekoa Kekumano, left, and Alex Aiono star in Fox's 'Rescue : HI-Surf, ' which is filmed in Hawaii. ZACH DUGAN / FOX Local actor Kekoa Kekumano, left, and Alex Aiono star in Fox's 'Rescue : HI-Surf, ' which is filmed in Hawaii. Hawaii has been losing film and TV productions to other states and countries offering stronger incentives, but lawmakers have advanced a bill designed to help the industry thrive here, rather than elsewhere. , which passed out of the House Committee on Finance Wednesday with amendments, would create the Island Film and Media Production Investment Fund, expand tax incentives for hiring local workers and extend support to streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu. With productions dwindling and experienced professionals leaving, stakeholders stress that urgent action is needed to boost Hawaii's competitiveness in the global entertainment market. Ricardo Galindez, co-founder of the Island Film Group production company, said major Hawaii-based television productions such as 'NCIS : Hawai 'i ' and 'Magnum P.I.' have been canceled, and Kevin Costner's 'Headhunters, ' a surf-themed thriller set in Bali, pulled out due to financial constraints. 'This is the worst year, actually, ever, ' said Brian Keaulana, a veteran of film and television productions, noting how the industry benefits other sectors including hotels, car rentals, food vendors and employment. A 2022 report from the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism found that film and TV productions contribute $1.2 billion to the state's gross domestic product, pay over $543 million in wages and generate $121.6 million in state tax revenue. Additionally, 4.5 million visitor days are directly tied to productions filmed in Hawaii. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Without intervention, proponents of SB 732 say the state risks losing its status as a prime filming destination, along with its skilled workforce. That's why a crowd of more than 400 actors, writers, producers, tech crew members and community supporters of the local film and television industry rallied at the State Capitol Monday to support the measure, and it was standing room only Wednesday at the bill's hearing before the House Committee on Finance. DBEDT Director James Tokioka testified at the hearing that 'the industry is at a crossroads right now. Prior to 'NCIS' leaving Hawaii, our studios were full. We have two huge studios for the size of the capacity that we have productions for, and they're both vacant right now.' Galindez warned that if experienced production crew members migrate to other industries or leave, 'then we've lost the infrastructure we've been building over 20 years. There are currently a lot of (crew ) people that have not worked for well over a year.' THE ISLAND Film and Media Production Investment Fund aims to offer financial incentives to keep productions in-state. SB 732 also proposes enhanced tax credits for productions hiring at least 80 % local workers, with an additional 5 % credit for workforce development. To keep up with the rise of original content on streaming platforms, the bill would extend the same tax incentives to digital media productions. It also requires productions to consult with local labor unions to ensure fair practices in exchange for tax benefits. Another key component of the measure would increase the annual tax credit cap currently limiting Hawaii's competitiveness for large-scale productions. SB 732 also seeks adjustments to the state's general excise tax, including a reduced rate for film productions and wage-related exemptions that would make filming more cost-effective. In written testimony on the bill, Film Commissioner Walea Constantinau of the Honolulu Film Office said the recommended updates to Hawaii's film and television production tax credits would provide a degree of certainty needed to retain existing productions and attract new projects. These currently include potential second seasons of Fox's 'Rescue : HI-Surf ' and 'Chief of War, ' a new Apple TV + miniseries set to debut in August that stars Jason Momoa as a Hawaiian warrior during Kamehameha the Great's bloody campaign to unify the islands. Also recently announced was director Martin Scorsese's untitled Hawaii-set crime drama film starring Dwayne Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt. Constantinau estimated the three projects alone would bring in over $300 million in direct spending. She also cited studies showing that production tax credits generate over $120 million in additional state tax revenue through film-related tourism. INDUSTRY veteran Angela Laprete testified in favor of the bill Wednesday, speaking from her most recent experience as co-producer of 'Chief of War, ' which for financial reasons shot for 30 days in Hawaii and six months in New Zealand. 'It should have been in Hawaii and the cast should have been (all ) Hawaiian, ' Laprete said. 'We saw so many missed opportunities come out of 'Chief of War.' What we're doing now is being proactive and asking, if it gets picked out for Seasons 2 or 3, what do we need to do to save a show like that and not lose it to New Zealand again ? 'I understand, from a business standpoint why films would go there to shoot in New Zealand, ' she added. 'It's way cheaper. I'm saying it shouldn't be, but if it is, we need to have good tax credit—that's what we need to be competitive. The legislators all think that they're going to come anyway, and it's not true.' Galindez also referenced 'The Wrecking Crew, ' an action-comedy buddy film starring Momoa and Dave Bautista and set in Hawaii that filmed only 12 days in the state in January before relocating to New Zealand. He said that just two years ago, film and TV productions spent half a billion dollars in Hawaii, but this year the industry is at a standstill. 'If $20 million has been spent this year, I would be surprised, ' Galindez said. He emphasized that while Hawaii remains a prime destination for some outdoor location shoots—hosting blockbusters such as 'Jurassic Park ' and 'Jumanji '—the lack of soundstages here forces productions to film elsewhere. 'The work that's done here is location work, ' Galindez said. 'So if it's a big movie, they come, they shoot a cool, low-range, do all their exteriors here, but because we don't have adequate stages, they take all that work to Atlanta, New Mexico or Los Angeles.' He believes that with more modern soundstages and stronger tax incentives, Hawaii's film and television industry could become a billion-dollar powerhouse instead of losing projects to other states and countries. DURING Wednesday's House Finance Committee hearing, many government officials, representatives of the film and television industry, and members of the general public, offered support for SB 732. Rep. Kyle Yamashita (D, Upcountry Maui ), committee chair, recommended passage of SB 732 with amendments, which was supported by committee members. However, he indicated the updated bill is very different from the version the Senate had sent to the House, so it's unclear whether it will win final passage. Yamashita also suggested that perhaps the federal government, which he acknowledged is unlikely, or even the counties should cover some the cost of the film industry incentives, perhaps as much as 40 % in the case of the counties.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WV House approves its version of FY2026 budget, keeping tradition of ‘flat' spending in place
Gov. Patrick Morrisey's proposed budget report, which differs greatly from the one proposed and approved by the House of Delegates on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The West Virginia House of Delegates on Friday passed its version of the state budget for the upcoming year with several marked differences between the one initially requested by Gov. Patrick Morrisey at the beginning of the session. With three members absent and not voting, the budget bill passed the House 80-17. Eight Republican delegates — Dels. Chris Anders, R-Berkeley; Elias Coop-Gonzalez, R-Randolph; Henry Dillon, R-Wayne; Laura Kimble, R-Harrison; Bill Ridenour, R-Jefferson; Adam Vance, R-Wyoming and Lisa White, R-Berkeley — joined the chamber's nine Democrats in voting against the proposed budget. As proposed, the House's budget — House Bill 2026 — is based on the previous year's budget, continuing a tradition of relatively 'flat' budgets for the state of West Virginia. It totals about $5.127 billion in base spending. Morrisey has been critical of this tradition of 'flat' budgets. Before the legislative session started, he said the practice has been used to falsely inflate the state's revenues, making it seem that there is more money on hand in the state through the use of one-time funds that go to necessary programs but that are not included in estimated spending needs. He said former Gov. Jim Justice's approach to the budget bred long-term problems that he was now inheriting. In January, Morrisey's office projected that there would be a $400 million budget hole that lawmakers would need to contend with due to that reliance on one-time funds. But Del. Vernon Criss, who serves as the chair of the House Committee on Finance, never believed that budget hole actually existed. On Friday, in response to questions from Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, who asked whether that $400 million budget deficit was still a factor in the proposed state budget, Criss reiterated his beliefs. 'It never was,' said Criss, R-Wood. Earlier this year, Morrisey's office estimated that revenues for the coming fiscal year would total around $5.323 billion. The governor's version of the budget had all of those potential dollars being spent, making the largest difference between the House's budget and Morrisey's the inclusion of surplus funds. As proposed, the House's budget holds nearly $129 million as surplus spending that could be allocated later if the funds remain available by the end of this fiscal year. Criss, who has been vocally critical of Morrisey's governorship throughout this session, said the governor's proposed budget was problematic in that it didn't include that 'cushion' of surplus funds that can act as a safety net if revenue falls short and removed line items that allow the Legislature to better track funding allocations and the use of state dollars. 'The governor's budget was going to spend every dollar and not have any reserve account,' Criss said. 'He also collapsed all of the line items, which takes away our job of making sure we are watching the dollars. We appropriate the dollars — that's our job. When we got his budget, based upon his pro forma sheet, it was useless.' Before its passage on Friday, members of the House considered 10 amendments to the proposed budget bill, adopting only two of them. The first of those adopted amendments came from Del. Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, and added $2 million to the Office of Emergency Medical Services for training and support of the state's EMS. The second adopted amendment was introduced by Del. Michael Hite, R-Berkeley, and changed how funds are used and appropriated for several of the state Department of Human Services' waiver programs, including the Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities Waiver program. All of the other eight amendments voted down by lawmakers during the budget process were introduced by Democrats. All but one were voted down via voice vote. If approved, those amendments would have: Transferred $50 million into the West Virginia Flood Resiliency Trust Fund — a currently unfunded budget line — from the Revenue Shortfall Reserve Fund. With six members absent, lawmakers voted 75-19 against the amendment. Their vote came just weeks after devastating flooding hit the state's southern coalfields, taking lives and damaging dozens of buildings beyond repair. Added $10 million to the Water Development Authority to be used for improvements to the state's many distressed and failing water systems. Added $32 million in funding for child care subsidies, which lawmakers have stressed over the last two years are needed in the state. Despite that need — and requests from businesses to make the program a priority in order to support working parents — little work has been done by the Legislature on the issue and only about $6.3 million is currently allocated in the House's budget for child care. Put $20 million into workforce development grants to provide summer employment for teens. That fund is zeroed out in the House's budget due to the expiration of federal funds. Reinstated the state's Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs with a nearly $400,000 allocation. That office was completely removed in the budget in the wake of an executive order from Morrisey banning all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the state. Added $5 million in funding for West Virginia State University. Added $15 million in funding for West Virginia University. Increased various allocations to the state's waiver programs, including an additional $1 million for the IDD Waiver program, $32 million for Title XIX for Seniors Citizens waiver program and $1.3 million for the Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver program. The House's proposed budget — as it remains flat — had only a few increases for budget lines throughout. House counsel said at a committee meeting earlier this week that one of those, an additional $30 million for the state Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, is 'just to meet their operational requirements.' Other increases include an additional $40 million for the employer share for the Public Employees Insurance Agency, $7 million for the Department of Health's Birth to Three program, $1 million to the House and Senate for auditing services and a $7 million bump for the state's HOPE Scholarship program, among other small increases. And while an additional $90 million is being allocated to the state Department of Human Services — replacing some dollars cut in last year's budget — the department is still underfunded as it deals with an ongoing foster care crisis. Under the House's proposal, DoHS will receive just about $121 million for foster care. Morrisey's budget had about $182 million for foster care, higher than what the House is offering but still less than what the department said it needs. The agency also faces high vacancy rates of Child Protective Service workers, something the House took into consideration across the board in all agencies in its proposed budget. Agencies with continuously high vacancy rates, according to counsel for the House, were subject to a 2% budget reduction, totalling about $8 million in savings. Other spending decreases in the House's budget include an $11 million drop in state dollars in the school aid formula, a $15 million reduction in funds given to WVU and about a $1.2 million decrease in funds for the Judges Retirement Systems. The Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs no longer exists in the House's budget while the Department of Arts, Culture and History is moving under the Department of Tourism, and the Department of Economic Development is joining with the Commerce Department. Those agency closures and mergers reflect about $300,000 in savings, according to previous budget presentations. With the House's vote Friday, its version of the state budget heads to the Senate for consideration. Meanwhile, however, the Senate is still considering its own version of the state budget, which looks much more similar to Morrisey's initially proposed budget than the House's. On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Finance approved the Senate's budget proposal. That budget — Senate Bill 300 — is scheduled to be on first reading in the Senate on Monday. The Senate's budget sticks with Morrisey's proposed $5.3 billion in general revenue spending, however priorities for that spending look a bit different. During a press conference with reporters on Thursday, Morrisey said he wasn't concerned that the two budget proposals circulating around the Legislature hold stark differences. In response to a question from Ogden Newspapers' Steven Allen Adams, Morrisey said meetings have been occurring regularly between his team and leadership in both of the Legislature's chambers. 'I think what you have here is a process,' Morrisey said. 'The House has an important opinion, the Senate has an important opinion, the executive has an important opinion and so you have these three groups that come together and then you try to reach a budget that everyone agrees on.' The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die at midnight on Saturday, April 12. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
