The Republican members are taking the move after being frustrated by conflicting testimony about Louis DeNaples from members of the state Gaming Control Board and the head of the state police.

"We have two state agencies saying two diametrically opposed things," said Rep. Curt Schroder (R., Chester), who is drafting the resolution. "We just feel we need to get to the bottom of it and find out really what happened."

DeNaples was awarded a license to operate the Mount Airy Casino Resort in the Poconos in December 2006. In January, three months after the casino opened in 2007, Dauphin County prosecutors charged him with lying to gaming regulators about his relationship with organized crime figures and men tied to a Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe.

DeNaples has denied the allegations.

The gaming board has since suspended DeNaples' license and appointed a trustee to oversee the casino.

In later hearings, State Police Col. Jeffrey Miller had told legislators that troopers had informed regulators that they were looking into allegations of perjury by DeNaples before he received a license. Gaming officials insist, however, that they never knew of the investigation, and, absent that detail, awarded him a coveted slots license.

"We want to know what the gaming commission knew and when they knew it," Schroder said.

House members who supported the proposal said it was premature to discuss who might be subpoenaed.

"What we are trying to do here is to restore the confidence of the public and the integrity of this whole process," said Rep. Ron Marsico (R., Dauphin).

Added Rep. Mike Vereb (R., Montgomery), "Mount Airy has a cloud over it. This is a cancer, and we have to attack this cancer ever way possible."

Schroder said the resolution would be introduced by the time the House returned to voting session March 31.

It was unclear yesterday whether there was enough support in the House to create such a panel.