A Republican lawmaker who introduced a bill that threatened to make slot machines illegal for tribes explains his thinking in a Minneapolis Star Tribune column.

Sen. Thomas Neuville says he and Rep. Jim Knoblach, also a Republican, weren't trying to renege on compacts already negotiated with tribes. "What we are proposing is to exercise the rights we retained when the compacts were negotiated," he says.

Neuville believes the compacts allow the state to ban slot machines. "Few realized the state had this option, though if passed the bill would likely be tied up in court for years," he says.

Thousands of tribal members and their supporters rallied against the bill last week. The lawmakers ended up dropping their bill.

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Sen. Thomas Neuville: Bill aims to retool casino deals (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/17)
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