The United States Supreme Court today struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), the federal law that barred states from legalizing sports betting. In a 7-2 decision, the high court sided with New Jersey in the case, Murphy v. NCAA, and reversed a ruling from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
PASPA, enacted in 1992, forbids state-authorized sports betting in all but four states that met a 1991 deadline to legalize it: Delaware, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. Nevada is the only state to allow single-game wagering.
New Jersey challenged the PASPA before the Supreme Court, arguing the law is a violation of the 10th Amendment, calling it a “dramatic, unprecedented” usurpation of New Jersey’s authority. “Just as Congress lacks the power to order a state legislature not to enact a law authorizing sports gambling, it may not order a state legislature to refrain from enacting a law licensing sports gambling,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote on behalf of the court.
While the decision effectively opens the door for Maryland to legalize sports betting, it’s unlikely to do so, at least not any time soon. According to the Maryland Constitution, the General Assembly may only authorize additional forms or expansion of commercial gaming if approved through a referendum by a majority of the voters in a general election.
A 2018 bill to legalize sports betting via a referendum failed to pass the General Assembly. That effectively halts the state from legalizing sports wagering in the short term. Even if the state were to pass a bill in 2019, it would still require the approval of voters in the 2020 presidential election.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Barbara Zektick discuss the importance of procurement in county government, review a number of tax bills from the 2018 General Assembly Session, and explain the relationship between local departments of public works and the United States Federal Highway Administration. MACo has made the podcast available through both 
Governor Larry Hogan today signed 
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson highlight some of the best resources for information on the General Assembly, provide insight on the [Kirwan] Commission on Innovation and Excellence In Education (which reconvened this week), discuss Maryland’s fiscal picture, and preview some hot-button issues for the 2018 interim.
MACo supported a bill that would exempt certain property transfers from recordation taxes – some of which are already exempt under existing law, or else a solid policy reason exists to make them exempt through this bill. The Senate amended out of the bill the exemption for general partnerships, at MACo’s request. General partnerships—unlike corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships—are not required to file formation documents with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). What constitutes a general partnership is also sometimes a question of subjective intent.
MACo supported legislation that would authorize local governments to exempt school field trips from the admissions and amusement tax. Counties generally support legislation enabling counties to authorize tax exemptions by local ordinance, as opposed to bills which mandate those exemptions across the board. Unfortunately, the bill did not advance out of committee.