The Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a work session today on an important piece of gambling legislation.

L.D. 90, An Act Regarding the Gambling Control Board, seeks to insert broad and unreasonable exceptions into the state’s Freedom of Access law. The bill, submitted by the Baldacci administration, would hide from public scrutiny much of the work done by the Gambling Control Board in its regulation of slot machines.

As written, the bill would take information that is already public information and make it confidential.

Reps. John Patrick, D-Rumford, and Randy Hotham, R-Dixfield, both sit on the committee reviewing the bill. Hopefully, they will recognize that the bill goes too far in shielding gambling executives and the Gambling Control Board from public scrutiny and they will narrow the reach of the legislation. The bill should also be sent to the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over FOA changes, for consideration.

Opposing this bill is not about keeping slot machines out of Maine. It’s about ensuring legitimate public access to information and the work of government agencies.