Why Bill Pass

[LotteryOrPoker]

Remember this next month when you vote:

MSNBC ON BILL

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While lobbyists hired by Sportingbet and Partygaming believed passage of the bill was a long shot, the US Chamber of Commerce, another powerful lobbying group, argued passage of the legislation would create a regulatory burden on financial institutions that will now be charged with scrutinising transactions to see if they are gambling-related.
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But the pleading of the US Chamber was ignored. One day before Saturday's vote on the legislation, two lobbyists who followed the bill alleged the last-minute intervention of the White House, which encouraged Republican senators to support the legislation, gave the bill the momentum it needed to be attached to the port security bill and passed by the Senate.
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Both lobbyists contend the White House sought passage of the bill following the release of a bipartisan congressional report that documented contacts between the White House and Mr Abramoff and his partners, including contacts between the lobbyist and Karl Rove, chief political strategist for George W. Bush, president.
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"What put it over the top is when the White House, in response to the Abramoff story, said we need this in the ports bill," one of the lobbyist says.

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