A bill that seeks to prevent the Tohono O'odham Nation from pursuing an off-reservation casino has been killed, Capitol Media Services reports.
Arizona House passed HB2297 with the minimum number of votes. But it won't be considered in the Arizona Senate at all. "I'm not sure this is something we should be involved in," Senate President Bob Burns (R) told Capitol Media Services. "This is a fight between the Tohono O'odham Nation and the city of Glendale." The bill would have allowed the city to annex 135 acres of tribal-owned fee land without the tribe's consent. Annexation would have presumably stopped the tribe from having the site placed in trust for a casino. The tribe bought the land in 2003. Normally, land acquired after the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 can't be used for gaming. But the law contains an exception for land acquired in connection with a land claim settlement. Congress passed the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Act that says the Tohono O'odham Nation can acquire "unincorporated" land. Get the Story: