Assemblyman Burzichelli says Overhaul of Casino Regulations is Coming Soon

NORTHFIELD - Assemblyman John Burzichelli pledged Tuesday to continue working to reduce regulations and said an overhaul of the Casino Control Act was coming soon.

Burzichelli, the deputy speaker of the Assembly and D-Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, said casino regulation had been effective and burnished the state's reputation, but after 33 years needs to be overhauled.

"There is a willingness to go into the (casino) act and overhaul it to make it more moderate," he said. "There are ideas coming out of the casino industry and some out of the government bureaucracy of what that change will mean, and I think there will be movement in that direction in the next 90 days."

Burzichelli told the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce that efforts to reduce regulations in general to promote business growth are proceeding at the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee he chairs, a powerful standing committee with subpoena power.

"If we identify a regulation that we think has exceeded its legislative intent, we can move and kill it," Burzichelli said. "And we're actually looking at a few to do that."

He said legislators are digging into the details of administrative procedures that are at the heart of New Jersey's regulatory process, following a reform roadmap created by the Red Tape Review Group. He was one of seven members of the group, appointed by Gov. Chris Christie and headed by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, to review existing regulations and recommend ways to make the state friendlier to business.

"For example, if you don't like something that occurs with the (Department of Environmental Protection), you can go to the administrative law process for relief," Burzichelli said. "But if that process is favorable to you, the DEP commissioner can overrule that and it goes back to the department."

He said that doesn't make sense and he's working to change it.

Burzichelli, who also is on the Assembly Budget Committee, vowed there won't be a repeat of July 2006 when a budget impasse resulted in a state government shutdown for several days and closed Atlantic City casinos for three days.

"We'll have a state budget. The state will not shut down," he said.

He called the state's budget "the most difficult in history," worse even than in the Depression because then people expected far less from state services and "now the reaction is more pronounced when cuts happen."

More cuts will be needed, Burzichelli said, even though areas previously off limits are being hit.

"When you start cutting school aid and aid to senior citizens, that's the stuff you cut last, not first," he said.

He urged business people to prepare for the time when tax revenues come back as the economy recovers, which he said will present an opportunity for government reform.

"At some point the debate will be about what gets restored. We'll have a debate about what government should look like after this (recession) is done," he said. "Government will cost less only when people's expectations from government change."

Two questions from the floor sought Burzichelli's views on the gaming issues of sports betting and Internet gambling.

He said he favors sports betting and believes it should be available at casinos and racetracks - underscoring his support for the horse racing industry. "We are aggressively working to help the horse industry," he said, citing changes to the racing schedule and increases in purses at Monmouth Park.

Burzichelli said he thinks online gambling eventually will be legalized and New Jersey should make sure it runs through existing licensed casino operators in the state.

"The question for us is how do we corral it and protect the investments in Atlantic City so they get healthier," he said.

Asked if he shared Senate President Stephen Sweeney's refusal to allow a vote on placing video lottery terminals at racetracks, Burzichelli quipped, "I'm not a yes-man to Sen. Sweeney. When Steve says vote no, I vote no." He added he was glad Sweeney took the position, and said legislative and constitutional hurdles stand in the way of slots at racetracks.

Burzichelli spoke at the chamber's Business Advocacy Breakfast at Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield.

In introducing him, chamber President Ken Calemmo said the group continues to work toward regulatory reform and in particular was concerned about "the mother-may-I approach that has casinos filing and spending man hours just to move a slot machine from one side of the floor to another."

The chamber's Chairs Council, representing about 50 area companies, holds advocacy events occasionally to ensure chamber members can hear from and talk to elected officials who help make decisions on matters of interest to businesses.