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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20150&cosponId=19757
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House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: February 26, 2016 10:47 AM
From: Representative James R. Santora
To: All House members
Subject: State Gaming Fund/Local Law Enforcement Grant program (LLEG)
 
In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to encourage more participation in the Local Law Enforcement Grant (LLEG) program, which is administered by the PA Gaming Control Board (PGCB) and receives $2 million annually from gaming revenues.

As you may be aware, the PA Auditor General recently provided the General Assembly with a performance audit of the PGCB. One of the findings of this report is that the LLEG program, which is intended to provide grants to law enforcement to combat illegal gambling, is over funded and underutilized. While the report makes several suggestions to the PGCB to encourage participation, the report does suggest that the General Assembly should consider a statutory change to encourage utilization of these funds by the State Police.

Under current law, the State Police are eligible for funds from the LLEG program, but only for combating illegal gambling in municipalities that do not have a municipal police service. This provision severely limits the ability of the State Police to utilize these funds, and it is important to note that the PSP’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement is the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement agency for combating illegal gambling. In order to achieve the goals of the LLEG program, it is imperative that this statutory barrier is removed. To that end, I am introducing legislation that will allow the State Police to use LLEG funds to combat illegal gambling in any municipality, regardless of whether municipal police coverage is present.

Additionally, my legislation will require unused LLEG funds to be annually transferred to the Compulsive and Problem Gambling Treatment Fund. In the event that greater participation from the State Police does not utilize all the funds provided to the LLEG program, I believe that the Compulsive and Problem Gambling Treatment Fund would be the appropriate fund to place these unused gaming revenues. The purpose of the LLEG program is to combat illegal gambling, and illegal gambling is exceptionally predatory of individuals who have gambling addiction issues.

I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this legislation that will better utilize gaming revenues to both combat illegal gambling and treat gambling addiction.



Introduced as HB1925