Senate President Steve Sweeney introduced a bill Thursday
that would disqualify a casino license applicant for five years if that person
“substantially” closes a casino in the state.
The bill is in response to concerns that Trump Taj Mahal
Casino Resort will close and “warehouse” the license, or reopen the casino with
reduced wages for workers, the Senate Majority Office said in a news release.
Taj owners plan to close the casino Oct. 10. The casino employs about 2,800
people.
A Taj spokesperson didn’t immediately return a request
for comment.
The bill, S-2575, amends existing law that gives gaming
regulators the responsibility to require license holders to abide by certain
standards. Sweeney’s bill will update those standards to “prevent the
manipulation of bankruptcy law and gaming licensing,” the release said.
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“Labor disputes happen and usually get resolved one way
or another,” said Sweeney, D-Salem, Gloucester, Cumberland. “But casino owners
shouldn’t be able to misuse bankruptcy laws and gaming regulations in order to
warehouse a license or take money out of the pockets of casino workers and
strip them of benefits simply because they refuse to come to a labor agreement
with their employees.”
The bill lets the Division of Gaming Enforcement
determine what constitutes a “substantial closure” of a casino. It would be
retroactive to Jan. 1, 2016, but would not apply to other casino licenses held
by the owner, the release said.
“This bill encourages casino owners to keep their
properties open and rebuild Atlantic City rather than keep their license and
throw thousands of families to the curb,” Sweeney said in a statement.
Source: Press
of Atlantic City
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