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11-14-2006, 01:04 PM
I just received a letter from my Representative - Anna Eshoo from California. It appears her no vote was because she thought the new law was not tough enough since it exempted horse racing, etc. Here it is:
Thank you for contacting me about Internet gambling.
It is estimated that Americans wager between $4 and $6 billion a
year over the Internet on more than 2,300 different websites
located offshore. This explosion of Internet gambling has raised
concerns about the impact gambling has on people's lives, as well
as the accessibility to minors.
In July, the House considered H.R. 4411 the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act. This legislation amends the federal
criminal code to prohibit persons engaged in the business of
betting or wagering from knowingly accepting financial
transactions in connection to Internet gambling. H.R. 4411 also
seeks to cut off the flow of money to Internet gambling sites by
instructing the Treasury Secretary and the Federal Reserve Board,
in consultation with the Attorney General, to promulgate
regulations for banks and other financial institutions to prevent
financial transactions for the purpose of Internet gambling. This
puts significant onus on financial institutions to monitor the intent
of individual financial transactions.
Unfortunately, the legislation does not treat all types of Internet
gambling equally. Included in these bills are exceptions for horse
racing, fantasy sports and lotteries. This arbitrary patchwork of
exemptions and prohibitions is rooted more in the power of
particular interest groups than in sound public policy. If Congress
is to ban gambling on the Internet, then we should ban all
gambling on the Internet. For this reason I opposed H.R. 4411, but
the bill passed the House by a vote of 317-93.
Despite the fact that the Senate never considered this or
comparable legislation, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist attached
H.R. 4411 onto H.R. 4954, the Port Security Improvement Act of
2006, forcing its consideration shortly before adjourning for the
November elections. H.R. 4954 was a critical and bipartisan bill
aimed at improving our national security at one of our most
vulnerable points, our ports. Because of the importance of this bill,
H.R. 4954 passed overwhelmingly and was signed into law by the
President on October 13, 2006.
These tactics are appalling. Attaching unrelated legislation onto
must-pass bills in the middle of the night does nothing but weaken
our democratic process and it demonstrates the abuse of power that
we have seen in this Congress.
If you have any other questions or comments, let me hear from
you. I always appreciate hearing from my constituents and ask that
you continue to inform me on issues you care about. I need your
thoughts and benefit from your ideas.
If you'd like to receive information on other issues, I've created an
e-newsletter to keep constituents informed on a variety of topics.
If you'd like to receive it, go to my website at
http://eshoo.house.gov and click on "E-Mail Sign-Up."
Sincerely,
Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress
Thank you for contacting me about Internet gambling.
It is estimated that Americans wager between $4 and $6 billion a
year over the Internet on more than 2,300 different websites
located offshore. This explosion of Internet gambling has raised
concerns about the impact gambling has on people's lives, as well
as the accessibility to minors.
In July, the House considered H.R. 4411 the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act. This legislation amends the federal
criminal code to prohibit persons engaged in the business of
betting or wagering from knowingly accepting financial
transactions in connection to Internet gambling. H.R. 4411 also
seeks to cut off the flow of money to Internet gambling sites by
instructing the Treasury Secretary and the Federal Reserve Board,
in consultation with the Attorney General, to promulgate
regulations for banks and other financial institutions to prevent
financial transactions for the purpose of Internet gambling. This
puts significant onus on financial institutions to monitor the intent
of individual financial transactions.
Unfortunately, the legislation does not treat all types of Internet
gambling equally. Included in these bills are exceptions for horse
racing, fantasy sports and lotteries. This arbitrary patchwork of
exemptions and prohibitions is rooted more in the power of
particular interest groups than in sound public policy. If Congress
is to ban gambling on the Internet, then we should ban all
gambling on the Internet. For this reason I opposed H.R. 4411, but
the bill passed the House by a vote of 317-93.
Despite the fact that the Senate never considered this or
comparable legislation, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist attached
H.R. 4411 onto H.R. 4954, the Port Security Improvement Act of
2006, forcing its consideration shortly before adjourning for the
November elections. H.R. 4954 was a critical and bipartisan bill
aimed at improving our national security at one of our most
vulnerable points, our ports. Because of the importance of this bill,
H.R. 4954 passed overwhelmingly and was signed into law by the
President on October 13, 2006.
These tactics are appalling. Attaching unrelated legislation onto
must-pass bills in the middle of the night does nothing but weaken
our democratic process and it demonstrates the abuse of power that
we have seen in this Congress.
If you have any other questions or comments, let me hear from
you. I always appreciate hearing from my constituents and ask that
you continue to inform me on issues you care about. I need your
thoughts and benefit from your ideas.
If you'd like to receive information on other issues, I've created an
e-newsletter to keep constituents informed on a variety of topics.
If you'd like to receive it, go to my website at
http://eshoo.house.gov and click on "E-Mail Sign-Up."
Sincerely,
Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress