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Senate committee advances bill to clarify public-trust leases and protect Gulf Coast sand beaches
Summary
A bill to clarify the secretary of state's authority over public-trust leases and to codify gaming amenity requirements was advanced by a Senate committee. Sponsors said the measure protects public sand beaches, codifies long‑standing amenity rules used by the Gaming Commission and seeks to resolve recent litigation-based inconsistencies between statutes.
A Senate committee advanced legislation aimed at clarifying who may lease state trust land for gaming on the Gulf Coast and at codifying amenity requirements long enforced by the Gaming Commission.
The chair introduced the measure as similar to a bill the Senate passed last year and said its goal is to make clear that casinos on the Gulf Coast must obtain leases from the secretary of state and that the secretary — as the public-trust landholder — has responsibility for those leases. “This makes it very clear that if you were gonna have a casino on the Gulf Coast, you've gotta get a lease from the secretary of state,” the chair said.
The bill, sponsors said, has four main points: it confirms that leasing for casinos on state trust land falls to the secretary of state; it protects the public sand beach by keeping casinos off the public sand beach; it codifies amenity requirements currently in Gaming Commission regulations to encourage tourism investment; and it clarifies post‑Katrina siting rules for legal sites.
Senator Thompson, who spoke in support, said the Public Trust Islands Act (codified 1989) and the Gaming Control Act (1994; amended 2005) have generated inconsistencies identified in recent litigation, and that the legislation is intended to reconcile those differences.
The chair told the committee that lease revenue collected by the secretary of state’s office last year amounted to roughly $12,000,000 and said the funds are used to benefit the Gulf Coast. Sponsors argued the measure would provide a stable regulatory environment for investment and protect public access to beaches.
Senator Younger moved that the title be considered sufficient and that the bill pass out of committee on the condition of referral to Ports; the chair instructed members to vote and the chair subsequently reported the bill out of committee. The measure is expected to proceed to the Ports committee for further review.
No amendments or roll-call vote totals were recorded in the transcript.
