Bullock commends GAC
Montana Atty. Gen. Steve Bullock, under whose auspices the Gaming Advisory Council operates, visited the council at its meeting in Billings May 18.
He commended the council and the Gambling Control Division for their hard work and accomplishments over the last 18 months, noting the gaming license amendment process has been substantially streamlined from 18 pages of forms to just one.
He also said the council and division had made good progress in drafting acceptable legislation to allow "stale dates" on video gaming machine win tickets and in making reasonable revisions to bingo rules.
"It looks like you've come up with a good bill, good rules that should produce more efficiency," he said. "I appreciate the work you've done, and will do. I know it takes a lot of time."
"It seems we never know when a shoe is going to drop, though," he said, citing "tough times not only for the gaming business, but all across the economy."
He noted government is tightening its belt, including his Department of Justice where they've implemented a 4 percent vacancy savings, one across-the-board 2 percent budget cut, then another 5 percent a couple of months ago.
"We're asking the Legislature for very little," Bullock said. "And there might be another request for another 4 percent staff cut. But we don't want to impact essential service. None of us have a crystal ball when it comes to tax collections. We're all looking for more efficiencies.
"We're beyond the point of political posturing when it comes to budgets," he said.
When quizzed about the issue of a runaway medical marijuana industry, Bullock said the Legislature is sure to tackle the problem, but that the likely venue for regulation would be the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
"The initiative (that allowed medical marijuana) was well intentioned, but there was no structural framework in place to deal with it," he said, "so its not working very well."
Instead, he said, his department was more focused on tackling a burgeoning prescription drug abuse problem as well as DUI reduction by focusing on second and subsequent offenders, and a new pilot program being run in Lewis and Clark County that required a DUI offender to abstain entirely from alcohol between arrest and conviction, and which requires the offender to be checked twice daily for alcohol consumption.
Gaming Advisory Council member Steve Morris, noting recent reports that show Montana making substantial progress in reducing DUI offenses, said he feared the Legislature could go too far in implementing policy through statute that isn't affordable.
Bullock said, "I don't disagree and I, too, am heartened by the improving statistics." But stiffening penalties "all the way through" the DUI laws may not be the best answer, he said, adding, "70 to 80 percent of those who get a first DUI don't get a second, but those getting the second are the ones getting the third, fourth, fifth .... The '24/7 sobriety program' is meant for the second offender. And the offender pays for the tests."
Bullock said of his first 18 months on the job, "It's been a wild ride. I'm fortunate; I have good people working for me. It's been fun!"