Tracie Stevens, the new chairwoman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, once again declined to endorse a Congressional fix to a case from 2006 but told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee she was reviewing the issue.

In October 2006, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that NIGC lacks authority to impose regulations on Class III gaming. The court said the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act leaves that role to tribes and states through the compacting process.

The Bush administration supported a fix to amend IGRA and address the decision. Some members of the committee also pushed for a fix in the 110th Congress.

But Stevens, who has been on the job for less than a month, said she wanted to take more time to understand the issue. "I understand that there are areas where there's strong tribal-state Class III regulatory authority," she told the committee.

"But I also understand that there are areas where there are gaps," Stevens added.

Stevens said she is undertaking a "comprehensive review" to determine how the decision impacts federal oversight of Class III gaming. "Until I have more information and the facts in front of me, I really wouldn't be able to say what needs to happen -- whether it's legislation or what we can do at the NIGC," she told the committee.

Also Today:
McCain launches ‘broad based attack’ on Indian gaming regulation (Indian Country Today 7/30)

Committee Hearing:
OVERSIGHT HEARING on Indian Gaming (July 29, 2010)

Related Stories:
Witness list for Senate Indian Affairs Committee oversight hearing (7/27)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee sets July 29 hearing on gaming (7/23)