Pennsylvania state Rep. Jim Marshall, who is based in future casino host Big Beaver Borough, was named the Republican chairman of the state House Gaming Oversight Committee, which oversees the state’s casino industry and Gaming Control Board.
State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, has been appointed Democratic chairman of the Gaming Oversight Committee for the 2019-2020 legislative session.
Marshall will lead the committee that oversees all casino games and other games of chance, and will be liaison between the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and the state Department of Revenue, as well as the attorney general’s office and state police.
“I’m very pleased to receive this appointment, especially with recent news of the proposed Mount Airy Pittsburgh casino in Big Beaver Borough,” Marshall said in a statement. “I’ll be able to see firsthand the impacts of oversight on the industry and our communities and take that insight with me to Harrisburg.”
This will be Conklin’s first term leading the committee’s Democrats, after serving two consecutive terms as Democratic chairman of the House Children and Youth Committee.
“This is an industry that employs 18,000 individuals and has had a large impact on communities across the commonwealth,” Conklin said. “The work of this committee includes oversight of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and aspects that involve gaming within the Department of Revenue, office of Attorney General and our state police. As such, in this position I will be a watchdog for the taxpayers’ money, because gaming proceeds help fund important programs within our communities.”
