According to an article that appeared in the Capitol Hill publication Politico on Wednesday, Congressman Spencer Bachus’ (R-AL) designation as the Ranking Member on the House Financial Services Committee may be in jeopardy. One Republican lawmaker told Politico, “Spencer is aware that he’s not in a strong position because he’s not a strong leader.”
Bachus has been a staunch opponent of internet gambling, at one point citing a non-existent study crafted by McGill University linking internet gambling to suicide. In a 2008 House Financial Services Committee hearing, Bachus told the assembled crowd, “Most significantly, [internet gambling] causes suicide. McGill University found that one-third – one-third – of college students who gambled on the internet ultimately attempted suicide. That is why the rate of suicide on our college campuses has doubled in the last ten years. Study after study has found that the most significant driver of that is addiction. The fastest-growing addiction is internet gambling.”
McGill Professor Jeffrey Derevensky, who was also on the Board of Governors of Youth Gambling International, told Poker News Daily at the time that no such study had ever taken place at the Canadian institution: “I am confident the Congressman doesn’t read research – he could not misinterpret this.” Bachus’ primary argument against legalizing and regulating internet gambling in the United States through bills like Frank’s HR 2267 has been that a 24-hour casino would become available in every home.
Possible replacements for Bachus, according to Politico, are Ed Royce (R-CA), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), and Scott Garrett (R-NJ). As to why Bachus, who has been in Congress since 1993, would be a target of his own party, Politico speculates, “Many Republicans fear that Bachus lacks the chops to provide strong leadership on tough issues, and more activist Republicans most likely would push vigorous oversight of major financial legislation passed by the Democratic Congress — including the financial reform bill that President Barack Obama signed Wednesday.”
In Wednesday’s hearing on HR 2267, Bachus submitted an MSNBC story published in 2008 about “crimes” at Ultimate Bet. Bachus asked witness Annie Duke, who spoke on behalf of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) if she was affiliated with the site. Duke responded that she was affiliated with UltimateBet.net and pointed out that the online poker room refunded millions of dollars to members who were affected by the Russ Hamilton-led cheating scandal.
Leadership changes in the House Financial Services Committee and elsewhere would be determined following November’s general elections in the United States. Bachus called out the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) on multiple occasions on Wednesday, pointing out that the organization’s headquarters is a UPS drop box in Washington, DC. Bachus called the group a “large corporate interest protecting the bottom line at the expense of disruption of our youth and communities.” The SSIGI’s website lists its address as 1718 M Street NW, which, according to UPS’ site, is indeed one of its retail outlets.
Hensarling and Garrett both told Politico that they expected Bachus to resume his role as Ranking Member on the House Financial Services Committee in the next Congress. Bachus has not had a Democratic challenger to his Congressional seat since 1998, when the Alabama lawmaker bested Donna Smalley by a 72% to 28% margin. Bachus comes to Washington representing Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District, which includes many of the areas around Birmingham.
Next Tuesday, July 27th, the House Financial Services Committee will mark up Frank’s HR 2267. The bill is one of six to be marked up, although the order in which the measures will be addressed, according to a Financial Services Committee staff member, is up to Frank.
Read the entire Politico article.
