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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 7055
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 6049
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
Introduced by:
(PS)
AN ACT CREATING A COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS FOR A
RESORT-CASINO FACILITY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) Not later than November 1, 2019, 1
the Commissioner of Consumer Protection shall develop and issue a 2
request for proposals to qualify an individual, a business organization 3
or an Indian tribe to develop, manage, operate and maintain a resort-4
casino facility in the state. 5
(b) The request for proposals shall require a responder to: 6
(1) Provide an outline of the significant benefits that the proposed 7
resort-casino facility will bring to the municipality in which the 8
proposed resort-casino facility may be located, the surrounding 9
municipalities and the state, and include a marketing and tourism 10
plan; 11
(2) Submit (A) a development agreement entered into by the 12
responder with a municipality regarding the establishment of the 13
proposed resort-casino facility in the municipality, that (i) requires the 14
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responder to make an annual payment to the municipality in an 15
amount not less than eight million dollars if and when the proposed 16
resort-casino facility becomes operational, and (ii) was approved, 17
notwithstanding the provisions of any municipal charter, special act or 18
ordinance, by a referendum of the municipality not later than January 19
1, 2020, and (B) a plan for revenue sharing with municipalities 20
surrounding the municipality in which the proposed resort-casino 21
facility may be located; 22
(3) Submit a workforce development agreement entered into by the 23
responder with a municipality regarding the establishment of a 24
regional workforce development center to be located in the 25
municipality for the purposes of training employees of the proposed 26
resort-casino facility; 27
(4) Submit a market analysis detailing the benefits of the proposed 28
resort-casino facility; 29
(5) Agree to make a total investment of not less than five hundred 30
million dollars in the proposed resort-casino facility; 31
(6) Provide information and documentation to demonstrate that the 32
responder has sufficient business ability, experience and financial 33
stability to develop, manage, operate and maintain the proposed 34
resort-casino facility; 35
(7) Submit the designs for the proposed resort-casino facility and a 36
timeline for its construction; 37
(8) Estimate the number of employees, which shall be not less than 38
two thousand individuals, to be employed at the proposed resort-39
casino facility and provide information regarding the pay rates and 40
benefits for such employees; 41
(9) Provide evidence that the responder has a labor neutrality 42
agreement with organized labor for the proposed resort-casino facility; 43
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(10) Describe the responder's plans to maximize the use of small 44
contractors and minority business enterprises, as both terms are 45
defined in section 4a-60g of the general statutes, and veteran-owned 46
micro businesses, as defined in subsection (c) of section 4a-59 of the 47
general statutes; 48
(11) Submit a responsible gaming plan associated with the operation 49
of the proposed resort-casino facility; 50
(12) Describe the types and number of games to be conducted at the 51
proposed resort-casino facility; 52
(13) Demonstrate the responder's ability to pay a one-time licensing 53
fee of not less than fifty million dollars for a possible license to operate 54
the proposed resort-casino facility in the state before the 55
commencement of construction of the proposed resort-casino facility; 56
(14) Agree to pay to the state (A) a minimum of twenty-five per cent 57
of the gross gaming revenue from the operation of all gambling games 58
at the proposed resort-casino facility, and (B) a minimum of ten per 59
cent of the gross gaming revenue from the operation of video slot 60
machine games at the proposed resort-casino facility; and 61
(15) Provide any other information the commissioner deems 62
necessary to evaluate the qualifications of the responder. 63
(c) Each proposal shall be submitted by January 1, 2020, and shall be 64
accompanied by a fee of five million dollars, which shall be refundable 65
if (1) the responder is not selected by the commissioner to be qualified 66
and waives the right to challenge the commission's decision, or (2) the 67
General Assembly does not enact legislation to authorize the operation 68
of a resort-casino facility in the state. 69
(d) The commissioner shall develop selection criteria to evaluate 70
responses and may qualify one person, business organization or Indian 71
tribe that submits a response to the request for proposals to develop, 72
manage, operate and maintain a resort-casino facility in the state. 73
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(e) Not later than April 1, 2020, the commissioner shall submit a 74
report, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the 75
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 76
of matters relating to public safety and security and commerce that (1) 77
describes and summarizes the request for proposals, the responses 78
received and the selection criteria, (2) identifies the individual, 79
business organization or Indian tribe selected by the commissioner to 80
be qualified to develop, manage, operate and maintain a proposed 81
resort-casino facility in the state, and (3) demonstrates that such 82
person, business organization or Indian tribe satisfies the requirements 83
of the request for proposal set forth in subsection (b) of this section and 84
meets the selection criteria. 85
(f) No individual, business organization or Indian tribe selected by 86
the commissioner may operate a resort-casino facility in the state until 87
the General Assembly has enacted legislation to provide for the 88
licensing and operation of a resort-casino facility and such legislation 89
has taken effect. 90
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To create a competitive bidding process for a resort-casino facility.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. SANTIAGO E., 130th Dist.; REP. ROSARIO, 128th Dist.
REP. STAFSTROM, 129th Dist.; REP. DIMASSA, 116th Dist.
REP. PAOLILLO, 97th Dist.; REP. HENNESSY, 127th Dist.
REP. WALKER, 93rd Dist.; REP. LEMAR, 96th Dist.
SEN. BRADLEY, 23rd Dist.; REP. BAKER, 124th Dist.
REP. PORTER, 94th Dist.; SEN. LOGAN, 17th Dist.
REP. GRESKO, 121st Dist.; REP. CANDELARIA, 95th Dist.
REP. PERILLO, 113th Dist.; REP. FISHBEIN, 90th Dist.
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REP. MCGORTY, 122nd Dist.
H.B. 7055