Daniel Inouye: “I would be happy to have a brief discussion with Chairman Stevens on this matter. As he knows, on many occasions I have…”

“I would be happy to have a brief discussion with Chairman Stevens on this matter. As he knows, on many occasions I have expressed to my colleagues in this Chamber my strong opposition to gambling in the Hawaiian Islands. Our State of Hawaii is one of only two states in the entire country that prohibits gambling of all kinds. When Federal laws, including the Gambling Devices Transportation Act, more commonly known as the Johnson Act, affecting the ability of cruise ships to conduct gambling operations were relaxed over the past decade, I was involved in drafting those provisions to be sure that the longstanding Federal prohibition against the possession and operation of gambling devices be maintained with respect to the State of Hawaii. Unfortunately, I understand that a foreign cruise line seeks to exploit a loophole in Federal law and circumvent this long standing prohibition. This legislation closes this loophole. This recent announcement by a foreign cruise line--that is substantially owned by foreign gambling interests--to permanently based a large cruise ship with an extensive casino on board in Hawaii for year-round operation on cruises that will begin and end in Honolulu has prompted this amendment.…”