Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has called the session, where he is also expected ask for a 1-cent hike to the state sales tax and for creation of new income tax brackets to collect more money from the richest residents.
But it’s the plan to legalize slots that had the crowd concerned last weekend.
‘‘Frankly, I don’t think we’ve ever been weaker,” Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot told the group, adding that the special session could allow slot supporters to approve the machines without enduring the debate and hearings of a regular 90-day legislative session.
‘‘The devil is at the door. We’re not going to get any details,” he said. ‘‘[The gambling industry] is in Annapolis right now. They’re the ones writing the legislation even as I speak.”
Religious leaders in Prince George’s have been regular opponents of allowing slot machines in the state. While supporters have said bringing legalized slot machines at Maryland racetracks will revive the flagging horse racing industry, opponents say the machines prey on poor people and lead to addiction.
Franchot, who as comptroller handles collecting and accounting for the state’s taxes and fees, said there’s evidence that slots would prey on the poor. A recent analysis Franchot commissioned of the state lottery program showed that more than 80 percent of all lottery ticket money came from purchases in the poorest parts of Prince George’s County and Baltimore city.
‘‘We know this because we know the ZIP code these sales come from,” Franchot said. ‘‘They say that white people and the middle class buy them too. But I’ll buy a ticket maybe once every six months.”
Local slots opponent and state Del. Marvin Holmes (D-Dist. 23B) agreed.
‘‘Nobody will be coming from California to Rosecroft Raceway,” the Upper Marlboro lawmaker said. ‘‘But you know the person around here paying $800 a month in rent will be going down there every paycheck, trying to turn it into more.”
In addition to the hundreds of parishioners and more than 40 pastors and clergy, several other county delegates and County Council members came to the rally at the mega-church.
A spokesman for County Executive Jack Johnson, who did not attend the rally, said Johnson has not formed an opinion on the special session slots proposal, though he has opposed attempts to legalize slots in the past.
Clergy members said they plan to organize buses to take opponents to the special session later this month, and plan to organize a mass phone call campaign urging lawmakers to drop slots from the special session.
‘‘We ought to be able to use that which we learn on Sunday morning the rest of the week,” said the Rev. Jonathan Weaver of Greater Mt. Nebo A.M.E. Church of Bowie, who organized the rally.
Weaver is the president of The Collective Banking Group Inc., an organization consisting of more than 150 area churches who united in 1993 to address concerns about banking and business practices. The organization helped lead the fight in 2005 against a slots bill that passed the House of Delegates but died in the Senate.
The messages at the rally hit home with Rudolph and Rosie McComb, a retired Mitchellville couple who came to the church Saturday morning for the rally.
‘‘Instead of bringing gambling, maybe they should raise the taxes on alcohol and cigarettes,” Rosie McComb said. ‘‘Maybe that’ll stop them from drinking. Then they could afford to take care of the kids.”
E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.
Copyright © Post-Newsweek Media, Inc./Gazette.Net