Jonodev Chaudhuri. Photo from National Indian Gaming Commission
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a confirmation hearing this afternoon for Jonodev Chaudhuri to serve as chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. Chaudhuri is a member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. He currently serves as vice chair and associate commissioner at the NIGC, the agency responsible for federal oversight of the $28 billion tribal casino industry. Chaudhuri also has served as acting chair because the NIGC has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since September 2013. If he is confirmed, he will succeed Tracie Stevens, a member of the Tulalip Tribes who was the first woman in the post. The NIGC typically has three members but has been down to two members more than once during the Obama administration. However, the lack of a full commission rarely hinders the agency's workload since most matters do not need to be put before all three members. The most significant decisions Chaudhuri has made in recent months have been a series of enforcement actions against the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians. The California tribe's casino has been shut down amid an internal leadership dispute. Today's hearing takes place at 4pm in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building Committee Notice:
Nomination Hearing to Consider the President's Nomination of Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri to be Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission for the Term of Three Years (November 12, 2014)
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