Martin O'Malley, Governor

Ch. 4

(a)      the governing body of allegany county shall enter into
an agreement with an owner or operator of a video lottery facility
that locates in allegany county for a negotiated payment in lieu of
taxes on the video lottery facility.

(b)     an agreement for a negotiated payment in lieu of taxes
under this section shall provide that. for the term specified in the
agreement:

(1)      a specified amount shall be paid to allegany county
in lieu of the payment of allegany county property tax; and

(2)      all or a specified part of the real and personal
property at the video lottery facility shall be exempt from
Allegany County property tax for the term of the agreement.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED. That if any provision of this
Act or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid for any
reason in a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other
provisions or any other application of this Act which can be given effect without the
invalid provision or application, and for this purpose the provisions of this Act are
declared severable.

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED. That the intent of this Act and
its various integrated provisions is to provide for the authorization and regulation of
certain gaming devices for the purpose of generating State revenues and other funds for
specified purposes, including funding educational facility construction and renovation
and assisting the State's racing industry. This section is not intended to detract from
the application of the severability provision contained in Section 2 of this Act or from
the ability of a court of competent jurisdiction to consider and apply appropriate
severability principles in the event of a judicial challenge to the validity of a specific
portion or portions of the bill.

SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED. That the agency designated by
the Board of Public Works under § 14-303(b) of the State Finance and Procurement
Article, in consultation with the General Assembly and the Office of the Attorney
General, shall initiate two studies of the requirements of § 9-1A-10 of the State
Government Article, as enacted by Section 1 of this Act, that evaluate the continued
compliance of the requirement with any federal and constitutional requirements. In
preparation for the studies, the State Lottery Commission shall require video lottery
operation license applicants and licensees to provide any information necessary to
perform the study. The studies shall also evaluate race-neutral programs or other
methods thai can be used to address the needs of minority investors and minority

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