At a joint hearing of the House Gaming Oversight and Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development committees this morning, representatives from the Department of State, Common Cause PA, PAGR, as well as the Pennsylvania Casino Association (PCA) itself discussed current lobbying disclosure laws and how they pertain to the activity of the PCA.  PCA Board Chairman and Counsel Richard Sprague maintained PCA is a trade association and has not done anything under current law to trigger a requirement to register as a lobbying entity.

Sprague revealed the PCA board is looking at various lobbying firms to represent the association, and advised upon hiring a firm the association  will register under the lobbying disclosure law. He offered to register anyway if the joint committee were to acknowledge that PCA is guilty of no wrongdoing. Chairwoman Jane Earll (R-Erie) said a consensus opinion from members on that point is unlikely to be forthcoming, and told Sprague that at this point the burden is on them to register, or not. Check the Capitol Toolbox later on for the full story on the joint hearing.