A proposal to require casino boats to treat wastewater on shore and prohibit them from dumping at sea hit a snag Monday.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Allen, can't get a hearing in the House. At a Senate committee hearing, day-cruise industry interests opposed the idea and the bill got tabled. That puts the bill in jeopardy at this stage of session, which concludes May 5.

Florida state boundaries extend three nautical miles into the Atlantic and nine nautical miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Gambling ships on ''cruises to nowhere'' that return to the same port they depart from sail into international waters and can dump wastewater there. Allen's bill wants to stop the dumping and instead require the ships to transfer wastewater to sewage treatment plants onshore.

A legislative staff analysis said there are 10 strictly casino boats operating in Florida.

Ralph Haben, a lobbyist for the Day Cruise Association, opposed the bill, saying it posed constitutional and jurisdictional problems.

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