The committee includes Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, the lead lawmaker on casinos in the Senate.
BOSTON – Six state legislators, including one from Western Massachusetts, were named Tuesday to negotiate a final bill to legalize casino gambling.
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, D-Winthrop, appointed Reps. Brian S. Dempsey, D-Haverhill, Kathi-Anne Reinstein, D-Revere, and Paul K. Frost, R-Auburn, to the committee.
Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, selected Sens. Steven C. Panagiotakos, D-Lowell, Stanley C. Rosenberg, D-Amherst, and Richard J. Ross, R-Wrentham. Rosenberg has been the point man for the Senate on casinos.
“Senator Rosenberg has been working on this for three years, so, of course, he would be appointed,” Murray told reporters.
The six-member committee is charged with producing a compromise from the different casino bills approved in the state House of Representatives and the Senate.
The most glaring difference includes slot machines for the state’s race tracks. The state House of Representatives approved 750 slot machines for each of the tracks and two casino resorts, while the Senate approved three casino resorts.
DeLeo said it’s key for the bill to include slot machines for the state’s two horse tracks and two former dog racing tracks. “It’s of major importance to me,” DeLeo said.
DeLeo said he is always willing to listen to offers of compromise.
DeLeo said he would be listening to the concerns of Gov. Deval L. Patrick.
“We’ll take some of the governor’s input, maybe during the conference process or whatever, just to get something done for him to sign by the end of the month,” DeLeo said.
Legislators are aiming to send a final bill to the governor by the middle of this month. Each legislative chamber would vote up or down on the final bill before sending it to the governor, who could issue vetoes.
DeLeo and Murray spoke with reporters while on their way to the governor’s office for a regular weekly meeting among leaders on Beacon Hill.