Legislation | Openings & Closings

House votes on bill to stop Tohono O'odham Nation casino

Monday, November 16, 2015

West Valley Opportunity: Congress, you must watch this video before voting on HR 308

UPDATE: In a huge victory for the Tohono O'odham Nation, the bill failed to pass the House. The rule required a 2/3rd supermajority to move forward but the threshold was not reached. The roll call was 263 to 146.

A bill that prevents the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona from using its trust lands for a casino is up for a vote in the House today.

H.R.308, the Keep the Promise Act, doesn't mention any tribes by name. Instead, it bars Class II and Class III gaming on land placed in trust in the "Phoenix metropolitan area" after April 9, 2013 -- a situation that only applies to the Tohono O'odham Nation.

The bill will be considered under a suspension of the rules this afternoon, according to the House majority leader's schedule. The process is typically reserved for non-controversial bills but H.R.308 seems far from it, with tribes on both sides of the battle spending millions of dollars on lobbying firms and campaign contributions.

Arizona Casino Wars: Tribes battle over new gaming facility in the Phoenix area

The Desert Diamond Casino - West Valley is due to open on December 20. It's located in Glendale, a suburb on the western side of Phoenix.

Tribes with existing casinos in the area are fighting the new development. The Gila River Indian Community has spent $2.5 million on lobbying so far in 2015, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, another opponent, has spent $385,000 so far.

Congress has never passed a law that retroactively prohibits Indian land from being used for gaming.

Get the Story:
Measure that would block West Valley casino back before Congress Monday (Yourwestvalley.Com 11/13)
Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley future on the line (The Peoria Times 11/14)
Tribal Lobbying Is Booming After Abramoff Scandal (Roll Call 11/15)

Some Opinions:
Chuck Schmidt: Schools and gaming don't mix (The Arizona Republic 11/14)
Cristi Davis: Scare tactics should not stop casino (The Arizona Republic 11/15)