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BGonline.org Forums
H.R. 2267 (somewhat OT)
Posted By: Daniel Murphy
Date: Thursday, 21 October 2010, at 9:22 p.m.
This post, although primarily of interest to internet poker players, may also be of interest to internet backgammon players, since in response to the U.S. SAFE Port Act of 2006 and to concerns about state regulation of internet gambling some internet backgammon sites ceased servicing customers residing in the U.S. or in some U.S. states.
History
The SAFE Port Act of 2006 was an Act of Congress in the United States covering port security and to which an online gambling measure was added at the last moment. Title VIII of the Act, also known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). The UIGEA (31 U.S.C. § 5361–5367) prohibits the transfer of funds from financial institutions to Internet gambling sites.
In response to the SAFE Port Act, many online gaming sites stopped servicing U.S. residents, among them Party Poker and its backgammon site Party Gammon. However, some poker sites including PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have continued to accept U.S. customers.
Current
H.R. 2267, entitled the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, is a bill introduced by Barney Frank (D-Mass) in 2009 to amend the UIGEA. One access point to the bill's text, sponsors, and legislative history is here. A list of eight interest groups supporting and two opposing the bill, and their contributions to House members is here. An article at Tightpoker.com gives some idea of the politics involved in its discussion of amendments offered to the bill before it was reported out of the Financial Services Committee. Also of interest are two stories here and here at bluffmagazine.com about the Financial Services Committee proceedings.
H.R. 2267 would "amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the licensing of Internet gambling activities by the Secretary of the Treasury, to provide for consumer protections on the Internet, to enforce the tax code, and for other purposes." The bill proposes a federal licensing scheme for internet gaming sites wishing to offer services to U.S. residents. The bill would prohibit licencees from servicing residents of U.S. states and Indian reservations that give notice that they intend to prohibit their residents from accessing internet gaming sites.
Latest action
In July 2010, the House Committee on Financial Services ordered the bill to be reported by a vote of 41 in favor and 22 against. The bill was referred the House Judiciary Committee. The latest action on the bill was in September, when the Judiciary Committee granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Nov. 19, 2010. A companion bill, H.R. 2268, which would "amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to regulate and tax Internet gambling," was introduced in 2009 by James McDermott (D-WA). The bill has five co-sponsors and awaits action by the House Ways and Means Committee. One access point to H.R. 2268 is here.
For and against
Congressman Frank's bill, H.R. 2267, currently has 70 co-sponsors. Below is a list of the 70 co-sponsors and of the 41 representatives who voted in favor and the 22 who voted against the bill in July.
Representative State Party Co-sponsor 7/10 vote Don Young AL R Yes - Raul M. Grijalva AZ D Yes - John Campbell CA R Yes - Bob Filner CA D Yes - Michael M. Honda CA D Yes - George Miller CA D Yes - Linda T. Sanchez CA D Yes - Adam B. Schiff CA D Yes - Mike Thompson CA D Yes - Maxine Waters CA D Yes Lynn C. Woolsey CA D Yes - Betsy Markey CO D Yes - Ed Perlmutter CO D Yes Yes Jared Polis CO D Yes - Joe Courtney CT D Yes - Christopher S. Murphy CT D Yes - Jim Himes CT D Yes John B. Larson CT D Yes - Alan Grayson FL D Yes Alcee L. Hastings FL D Yes - Ron Klein FL D Yes Suzanne Kosmas FL D Yes Robert Wexler FL D Yes - Resigned 2010. Neil Abercrombie HA D Yes - Resigned 2010. Running for governor of the state of Hawaii. Dennis Moore KS D Yes Not running for re-election. His wife is running for his seat. Walter Minnick ID D Yes Absent Melissa Bean IL D Yes Judy Biggert IL R Yes Bill Foster IL D Yes Yes Luis V. Gutierrez IL D Yes Yes André Carson IN D Yes Yes Charlie Melancon LA D Yes - Michael E. Capuano MA D Yes Yes William D. Delahunt MA D Yes - Barney Frank MA D Yes Yes James P. McGovern MA D Yes - John Conyers, Jr. MI D Yes - Gary Peters MI D Yes Keith Ellison MN D Yes Bennie G. Thompson MS D Yes - Russ Carnahan MO D Yes - Wm. Lacy Clay MO D Yes Yes Emanuel Cleaver MO D Yes Shelley Berkley NV D Yes - Dina Titus NV D Yes - Paul W. Hodes NH D Yes Yes Not running for re-election. Running for U.S. Senate. John H. Adler NJ D Yes Yes Robert E. Andrews NJ D Yes - Leonard Lance NJ R Yes Frank A. LoBiondo NJ R Yes - Bill Pascrell, Jr. NJ D Yes - Steven R. Rothman NJ D Yes - Gary L. Ackerman NY D Yes Yes Timothy H. Bishop NY D Yes - Joseph Crowley NY D Yes - Eliot L. Engel NY D Yes - Steve Israel NY D Yes - Peter T. King NY R Yes Yes Christopher Lee NY R Yes Carolyn McCarthy NY D Yes Yes Michael E. McMahon NY D Yes Daniel B. Maffei NY D Yes Yes Carolyn B. Maloney NY D Yes Gregory W. Meeks NY D Yes Scott Murphy NY D Yes - Jerrold Nadler NY D Yes - William L. Owens NY D Yes - Charles B. Rangel NY D Yes - Paul D. Tonko NY D Yes - Edolphus Towns NY D Yes - Nydia M. Velasquez NY D Yes Anthony D. Weiner NY D Yes - Brad Miller NC D Yes Melvin L. Watt NC D Yes Yes Gregorio Sablan D Yes - Non-voting delegate from the Northern Mariana Islands. Steve Driehaus OH D Yes Yes Mary Jo Kilroy OH D Yes Tim Ryan OH D Yes - Charlie Wilson OH D Yes Yes Earl Blumenauer OR D Yes - Jim Gerlach PA R Yes Paul E. Kanjorski PA D Yes Steve Cohen TN D Yes - Al Green TX D Yes Kenny Marchant TX R Yes Ron Paul TX R Yes Present Rubén Hinojosa TX D Yes Ciro D. Rodriguez TX D Yes - Peter Welch VT D Yes - James P. Moran VA D Yes - Thomas Periello VA D Yes - Robert C. Scott VA D Yes - Jim McDermott WA D Yes - Adam Smith WA D Yes - Gwen Moore WI D Yes Spencer Bachus AL R No Joe Baca CA D No Ed Royce CA R No Jackie Speier CA D No Michael N. Castle DE R No Defeated in U.S. Senate primary. Adam Putnam FL R No Tom Price GA R No David Scott GA D No Donald A. Manzullo IL R No Joe Donnelly IN D No Thaddeus McCotter MI R No Scott Garrett NJ R No Walter B. Jones NC R No Patrick McHenry NC R No J. Gresham Barrett SC R No Jeb Hensarling TX R No Randy Neugebauer TX R No Michele Bachmann MN R No Kevin McCarthy CA R No Bill Posey FL R No Lynn Jenkins KS R No Erik Paulsen MN R No
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