The old saying “You never want to see sausage or your laws made” may be true in the instance of HB 3450. It didn’t make sense to me that Del. Mark Zatezalo would sponsor a bill that took half the 2percent video lottery net revenue and split it between New Cumberland and Chester, but leave the City of Weirton, which is the bulk of his district, with nothing. Zatezalo’s claim to the County Commission that he did not know the reduction to the County was in the bill seemed unlikely, You don’t put your name on a bill if you don’t know what it does.
The Mayors of either town didn’t request the bill although they greatly appreciate the revenue. No-one sat down with the County Commission to say “this is what we’re going to do to your budget.”
Zatezalo, said “the track” came to him with the bill. I couldn’t see why Mountaineer would get involved in the distribution so I called the track’s lobbiest Gil White.who sent me in another direction.
HB 3450 was introduced as the Racetrack video lottery modernization with a purpose to transfer money into the track modernization fund.
As introduced the bill’s language simply makes the transfers from the Rac etrack Modernization Bill permanent. The program was set to be sun setted,
The bill was amended on the floor of the House on the 2nd reading by McGeehan to insert the language of McGeehan’s bill which split the revenue. The amendment passed and the bill passed. Both McGeehan and Zatezalo voted for the bill. The Bill then went to the Senate where it passed unamended.
Is it important to know how the change happened? Yes, because knowledge of what your delegates are doing and if they are doing their job (or just paying attention) is vital to your decision when you vote.
My analysis? Del. McGeehan did his job and although his bill couldn’t move out of committee, he achieved his purpose in another manner,
Del. Zatezalo has gone silent. The last communication I had from him promised a letter explaining the bill and how this had happened, That was a week ago, This was a little amendment with big ramifications for the towns and the county and while it wasn’t Zatezalo’s intent to change the distribution, it happened on his watch. His lack of response to the media is quite simply arrogant, an attittude we in Hancock County shouldn’t tolerate.
I don’t live in the 2nd Delegate District, but if I did I’d be looking for a candidate to run against Zatezalo.
