Gaming an issue as Oklahoma tribe seeks to return to Georgia

Friday, August 26, 2011  

A bill that would place a hurdle in the sale of land to the Kialegee Tribal Town of Oklahoma has been placed on hold in Georgia.

The tribe is working with developer Joe McDonough on a 300-acre project on the coast of Georgia. Neither has brought up gaming but that didn't stop a Republican lawmaker from introducing a bill to require state approval before any land is sold to the tribe.

"When looking at whether a reservation is going to be created, the federal government looks at the desires and intent of the state," Sen. William Ligon (R) told The Brunswick News. "What better way to do that than through the legislature?"

The state Senate passed the bill but it failed to pass the House after constitutional concerns were raised. In Arizona, a somewhat similar bill to allow municipalities to annex tribal land was invalidated in federal court.

The Kialegee Tribal Town is part of the Muscogee confederacy. The tribe was based in Georgia and other parts of the Southeast before being forced to move to Oklahoma.

Get the Story:
Developer: No reservations about goal (The Brunswick News 8/26)

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Kialegee Tribal Town files land-into-trust application in Georgia (4/8)