The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is holding an oversight hearing on Indian gaming tomorrow.
The committee hasn't paid much attention to the $28 billion tribal casino industry during the 113th Congress. Sen. Jon Tester, the chairman, (D-Montana) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), his predecessor, instead have focused on education, housing, economic development and trust relationship issues.
But with the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act having passed a milestone -- the law turned 25 last year -- the committee will be hearing from federal officials and tribal leaders about the state of the industry and what lies ahead in the next quarter-century.
There's also a very specific political and legal controversy on the agenda -- the proposed Tohono O'odham Nation off-reservation casino. Five witnesses, including two lawmakers, two tribal leaders and a local official, will be discussing the West Valley Resort, which remains mired in litigation and could be stopped by H.R.1410,
the Keep the Promise Act.
And Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(D-California) is making a return visit to the committee At a hearing in November, she called for a limit on the number of tribal casinos in her state and has proposed S.477,
the Tribal Gaming Eligibility Act, as a way to restrict new development.
The hearing takes place at 3:30pm in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The witness list follows:
The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
Committee Notice:
Senator-United States Senate
The Honorable Paul A. Gosar
Representative-United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Raul M. Grijalva
Representative-United States House of Representatives
Panel 1
The Honorable Kevin Washburn
Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs-United States Department of the Interior
Mr. Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri
Vice Chairman-National Indian Gaming Commission
Ms. Anne-Marie Fennell
Director-Natural Resources and Environment-United States Government Accountability Office
Panel 2
The Honorable A.T. Stafne
Chairman-Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation
The Honorable Michell Hicks
Principal Chief-Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Mr. Ernest L. Stevens, Jr.
Chairman-National Indian Gaming Association
Panel 3
The Honorable Diane Enos
President-Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation
The Honorable Ned Norris, Jr.
Chairman-Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona
The Honorable Jerry Weiers
Mayor-City of Glendale
Oversight Hearing on "Indian Gaming: The Next 25 Years"
(July 23, 2014)