Southeastern Connecticut has prospered with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. Now, as they face competition from outside of our state that could significantly harm business, it is vital to our collective future that we stand together in support of legislation that would protect jobs and businesses.

With the decline in defense jobs in the 1980s, our region faced significant economic hardships. Unemployment was high and there was little to draw business or visitors to our part of the state.

But the development of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun changed our communities for the better, together employing nearly 20,000 individuals; not including their support of thousands of secondary businesses that serve as vendors. Norwich alone has nearly 2,000 residents working at Mohegan Sun. That does not include the hundreds of restaurants, hotels, shops and other services located in our area, whose daily business is tied to the resorts.

Legislation that the state General Assembly has under consideration would allow the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Tribes to build up to three new casinos in other areas of the state, off federal reservation lands, to directly compete with planned resorts in Massachusetts and New York.

According to the casinos, these new enterprises would allow them to keep business and jobs in Connecticut.

Connecticut has been lucky to have nearly two decades of prosperous gaming business, but competition is coming. The gaming industry is changing and Connecticut needs to change with it. Connecticut’s two Native American tribes created world-class businesses that continue to be among the most profitable is the world. We need to protect those businesses and the individuals they employ.

As elected officials, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to protect our citizens. Senate Bill 1090 would give us the ability to do that.

Deberey Hinchey is the mayor of Norwich.