State senators are making another play at passing sports betting legislation while also setting up a showdown over a controversial film tax credit with a slew of policy proposals included in the nearly 1,000 amendments filed alongside their $47.6 billion budget.
Debate on the fiscal 2022 spending plan opens May 24, according to Senate aides.
Sens. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Paul Feeney, D-Foxboro, have filed competing bills to legalize sports betting.
More than a dozen lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have filed bills to finally adopt a sports wagering law in Massachusetts.
Gov. Charlie Baker has signaled his support for such a measure in his January budget proposal, including a $35 million revenue line from sports gambling.
House lawmakers, however, dashed most hopes the long-stalled measure might pass when they excluded it from their budget.
In another break with the House, the senate budget seeks to maintain an expiration date on a controversial film industry tax credit set to expire at the end of the year.
House lawmakers voted to make the credit unanimous in their budget vote last month.
Senators would move the sunset date to Jan. 1, 2027, and boost eligibility criteria. Several amendments filed by Tarr would make changes to that proposal.
A recent state report questioned if the $56 million to $80 million paid out through the credit annually is worth the expense and renewed calls to end the program. Several Democratic lawmakers have expressed a will to end or amend the credit.
Sen. Diana DiZoglio told the Herald last week she planned to use the amendment process to press her colleagues to act on permanent protections for small businesses still trying to recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
She aims to continue expanded take-out and delivery options and limits on costs third-party delivery companies can charge that were extended amid the coronavirus pandemic and are tied to Gov. Charlie Baker’s state-of-emergency order.
DiZoglio is also seeking to curb the governor’s executive authority, requiring him to seek approval from the Legislature for emergencies lasting more than 30 days.
