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House and Senate Democrats are retreating from their $4 billion economic development bill but have reached agreements on bills to legalize betting on pro and college sports and improve access to mental health care, Sen. Michael Rodrigues said.
The economic development bill had been touted for weeks for its potential to give local projects and the economy a jolt.
“It’s going to remain in conference until we take a deeper dive and have more time to really analyze the effects of the 62F matter that we just learned about earlier this week,” Rodrigues said, referring to the 1986 law that may trigger $3 billion in tax relief.
“It’s a lot of money,” he added. “We’ve been very, very careful over the last two years, three years, since the pandemic of being fiscally responsible and the fiscally responsible thing to do is hit pause right now on all of this spending.”
In a tweet, House Speaker Ron Mariano said, “I am proud to announce that the Sports Betting Conference Committee has reached an agreement on legislation that will legalize wagering on professional and collegiate sports in Massachusetts, bringing the immense economic benefits of a legal sports betting industry to Massachusetts.”
The decision means the one-time rebates of $250 to eligible individual taxpayers and $500 to married taxpayers who filed jointly, which lawmakers have promoted in recent weeks, will not be issued.
I want to thank @RepMichlewitz and @JerryParisella, all the conferees and my colleagues in the House, as well as our partners in the Senate for recognizing the incredible economic opportunity that legalized sports betting presents. (2/2)
— Speaker Ron Mariano (@RonMariano) August 1, 2022
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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