First hearing held on tribal Catskills casino deals

Tuesday, March 1, 2005  

Senate Republicans in New York held the first hearing on Monday for a bill to settle five tribal land claims for casinos in the Catskills.

Gov. George Pataki (R) settled with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, the Cayuga Nation, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans from Wisconsin and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma. The deals require state and federal approval.

Witnesses as the first hearing testified in favor of the proposal, with the Mohawks the farthest along in the process. But critics said the settlements favor friends and allies of Pataki.

The Oneida Nation of New York opposes the deals with out-of-state tribes and says its portion of the Oneida land claim can't be settled without its consent.

Two more hearings are planned by Republicans and three more by Democrats.

Get the Story:
Casino opponents say GOP dealt them out (Newsday 3/1)
Casino expansion faces state, federal scrutiny (The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 3/1)
Pataki raises the ante for casino sponsors (The Albany Times-Union 3/1)
Hearings begin on land-claim deal (The Syracuse Post-Standard 3/1)
Pro-casino side packed with insiders (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 3/1)
Senate GOP holds hearing on casinos (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 3/1)
Indians Backing Pataki's Land Pact (The New York Sun 3/1)
Casino gambling discussed at the Capitol (Capitol News 9 2/28)
Casinos May Be Heading To Sullivan County (WTEN 2/28)