Conklin releases
statement on attorney general's rejection of lottery contract
HARRISBURG,
Feb. 14 – Centre
County state Rep. Scott Conklin released the following statement based on
Attorney General Kathleen Kane's decision to reject Gov. Corbett's pending
contract to privatize the Pennsylvania Lottery:
"I
whole-heartedly support Attorney General Kane's decision. From the get-go, I
felt the process was faulty and the deal was plagued with red flags. The
Corbett administration tried to circumvent any legislative or regulatory
review, not to mention disregard any consideration of constitutionality.
"We just
came off banners years and sales and profits in the billions. What was the rush
to give all that away? The lottery system was not broken, is still not broken,
so there's no need to fix it.
"Figures
from an independent study show selling off this asset is a lose, lose situation
for Pennsylvanians. Numbers I've received indicate the deal with Camelot Global
Services would cost the state $12 billion over the 20-year contract. That
translates into hundreds of workers out of a job and seniors kicked out of
prescription-drug programs, all while lining the pockets of a company that's
not even made in the USA.
"In
addition to signing on to a lawsuit that challenges the Corbett
administration's authority, I am supporting a plan that would provide an
additional $120 million to senior citizens' programs while keeping the
Pennsylvania Lottery intact. This would be made possible by utilizing the
record growth in lottery profits that we have seen in recent years.
"If you
watch the lottery drawing on television what to you hear every time at the end?
Benefiting older Pennsylvanians every day. I intend to keep it that way,"
said Conklin.
