Lobbyist doesn't expect off-reservation bill to pass

Monday, February 28, 2005  

Efforts to bar or limit off-reservation gaming won't pass in Congress, a lobbyist who represents tribes says.

Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), chairman of the House Resources Committee, are said to be planning bills to make it harder, or impossible, for tribes to acquire land far away from their reservations or in other states.

But Heidi Staudenmaier, a senior partner at Snell & Wilmer, told The Santa Fe New Mexican that tribes will be able to defeat the proposal. She said "the tribes have a powerful lobby, and most people that follow this sort of thing aren't giving it a high possibility to pass."

McCain has said he will hold a hearing on off-reservation gaming. Pombo held two hearings on the subject last year.

Get the Story:
Tribe faces an uphill battle to build casino (The Santa Fe New Mexican 2/27)
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