BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1753
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 12, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 1753 (Hall) - As Amended:  April 14, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Governmental  
          Organization Vote:                            21 - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill increases the misdemeanor penalties associated with  
          possessing or using a slot machine.  Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Increases the misdemeanor penalties to provide that a first  
            offense would be punishable by a fine of not less than $500  
            nor more than $1,000, and/or by imprisonment in a county jail  
            not exceeding six months.

          2)Increases the misdemeanor penalties to provide that a second  
            offense would be punishable by a fine of not less than $1,000  
            nor more than $10,000, and/or by imprisonment in a county jail  
            not exceeding six months.

          3)Increases the misdemeanor penalties to provide that a third or  
            subsequent offense would be punishable by a fine of not less  
            than $10,000 nor more than $25,000, and/or by imprisonment in  
            a county jail not exceeding one year.

          4)Provides if the offense involves more than one machine or more  
            than one location, an additional fine of not less than $1,000  
            nor more than $5,000 would be imposed per machine and per  
            location.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible nonreimbursable costs to local government for  
          additional enforcement, offset to some extent by additional fine  
          revenues.

           COMMENTS  








                                                                  AB 1753
                                                                  Page  2


           Rationale  . This bill significantly increases the fines imposed  
          on those individuals who illegally possess and operate slot  
          machines. Under current law, the punishment is limited to not  
          less than $100 or more than $1,000, or by imprisonment in the  
          county jail not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and  
          imprisonment.

          The sponsor of the bill, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's  
          Department, hopes that increasing the fines will deter the  
          proliferation of illegal slot machines. 

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081