HARRISBURG: Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the appointment of the Honorable Mary DiGiacomo Colins to a one-year term on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. DiGiacomo Colins, the first woman named to the board and the last of three gubernatorial appointees among its seven members, was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County in 1989 after being hired by
Rendell as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia in 1985.

HARRISBURG: State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller today issued the following statement on background investigations conducted by State Police for people appointed to the state’s Gaming Control Board:

“The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act requires State Police to conduct background investigations of those appointed to the Gaming Control Board and to provide reports of those investigations to the appointing authority.

PHILADELPHIA: Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the appointment of Thomas “Tad” Decker as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for a three-year term. Decker, the last of three gubernatorial appointments to the Board, has served in top-level executive positions throughout his career as a nationally respected corporate lawyer and currently sits on the DRPA Board and
PATCO.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, charged by statute with overseeing the implementation of expanded gaming in the Commonwealth, today adopted the state's Ethics Act as its initial code of conduct to ensure that it does business according to the highest ethical standards. The Board recognized a possible need for future amendments to strengthen the code.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, charged by statute with overseeing the implementation of expanded gaming in the Commonwealth, today authorized the Pennsylvania State Police to conduct background checks on potential Board employees, and on potential gaming machine manufacturers and gaming machine suppliers.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, charged by statute with overseeing the implementation of expanded gaming in the Commonwealth, held its first meetings on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 in the State Museum in Harrisburg.

The board unanimously:

• Adopted the state’s Ethics Act as its initial code of conduct to ensure that it does business according to the highest ethical standards and recognized a possible need for future amendments to strengthen the code.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday Jan. 25, 2005, in Public Utility Commission Hearing Room 1 in the North Office Building of the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg.

Limited seating will be reserved for the media, and mult-box connections will be available. Agendas will be available at the meeting. Media without Capitol credentials should enter the North Office Building on North Street near Commonwealth Avenue for security screening.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, charged by statute with overseeing the implementation of expanded gaming in the Commonwealth, today hired its first two staff members.
In unanimous votes, the Board approved the hiring of Susan Hensel as a Special Assistant to the Board and Michelle Afragola as a Staff Attorney.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will meet at 3 p.m. on Tuesday Feb. 8, 2005, in Public Utility Commission Hearing Room #1 in the North Office Building of the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg. PLEASE NOTE: The date for this meeting has changed from the date announced at the prior Board meeting.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, charged by statute with the implementation of expanded gaming in the Commonwealth, today hired two members of its executive staff.

Nick Hays, a deputy director of communications for Governor Edward G. Rendell, becomes the Board’s Director of Communications. He will serve as the Board’s primary spokesman, overseeing all public-affairs issues. Michael Walsh, a special assistant to the Governor, joins the Board as a special assistant and will concentrate on administrative and human resources issues.