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Senate declines amendments to restore Community Mitigation Fund allocations for casino host communities
Summary
Senators debated amendments to revive the 6.5% Community Mitigation Fund allocation tied to casino revenues and to direct $3 million in targeted mitigation for Springfield-area towns. Both amendments failed on voice votes.
Senators rejected two amendments that would have restored and targeted Community Mitigation Fund (CMF) dollars for communities that host or surround casinos.
Senator Adam Gomez (sponsor) and Senator Jacob R. Olivera spoke in support of the measures, arguing they would reinstate the 6.5% allocation from gross gaming tax revenues and provide an additional $3 million for Springfield-area communities. Both amendments failed after voice votes.
The CMF was created after the 2011 expanded gaming act to help cities and towns absorb heightened demands from casino operations. Gomez told colleagues, “This was not a technical oversight. It was a policy choice, and it's a choice that has real consequences.” He said the fund is financed by “6.5% of gross gaming tax revenues” and that the CMF “has awarded over $56,000,000 in grants” since 2015, with “more than $18,000,000” distributed in fiscal 2024 to 23 communities and 10 regional entities.
Gomez said amendment 58 would “reinstate the 6.5% allocation to the Community Mitigation Fund, restoring the original intent of the expanded gaming act.” He described amendment 59 as directing “$3,000,000 targeted funding for Springfield, Chicopee, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Holyoke, East Longmeadow, and Longmeadow.” Senator Olivera added his support, saying the CMF “is one of the most effective tools for ensuring that gaming revenues benefit local residents.”
Supporters noted the CMF funds have been used for emergency response, infrastructure, workforce development, and public safety, and argued that redirecting gaming revenues to the state’s general fund in the fiscal 2025 budget left affected communities without expected mitigation assistance. Gomez contrasted a $10 million allocation the House approved for mitigation tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the decision to zero out CMF allocations for FY25.
Both amendments were decided by voice vote. The presiding officer announced “the noes have it” on amendment 58 and later again for amendment 59; the record does not include a roll-call tally for either vote.
The Senate did adopt unrelated amendments earlier in the session and continued to other budget and policy items after the CMF votes.
