THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602240026
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
``Riverboat casinos to face full House'' (news, Feb. 11) failed to mention that House Speaker Thomas W. Moss Jr. of Norfolk received a $13,000 contribution from gambling interests.
The article reported that the House General Laws Committee initially voted 11-10 to kill the bill that would advance the riverboat gambling measure to the full House of Delegates. Del. James F. Almand, D-Arlington, was one of the committee members to vote against the bill.
After ``talking'' to the speaker, Almand returned to the meeting and called for another vote. This time he voted in favor of the bill.
I question the fact that Mr. Moss, having such a large contribution from the gambling interests, should have taken part in any negotiations concerning riverboat gambling. With all the emphasis on downsizing the federal government and returning block grants to the states, I wonder if our state-elected representatives can be trusted. I recommend that the above action be looked into by the House Ethics Committee.
NORMAN POWERS
Hampton, Feb. 11, 1996 by CNB