A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) to approve the Menominee Nation off-reservation casino.
The lawmakers say the $800 million casino in Kenosha will create "thousands" of jobs. Walker hasn't said when he will make a decision but he has until February 2015 to take action.
"The Menominee Tribe, local officials and elected leaders, and the people of Kenosha and Racine counties have been patient, but our communities need the thousands of family-supporting jobs and the ripple effect that this project will provide,” the lawmakers said in the letter, The Racine Journal Times reported.
A year ago this month, the Bureau of Indian Affairs
approved the casino under the two-part determination provisions of the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act. The law gives Walker veto authority over the project.
Walker originally planned to make a speedy decision due to opposition
from other tribes. The Forest County Potawatomi Community, whose off-reservation casino is about 40 miles from Kenosha, and the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose
leaders say Kenosha is their aboriginal territory, oppose the project.
But Walker later asked the BIA for an extension in order to consider
economic, employment and other issues. He commissioned a study to address economic and legal issues in hopes of reaching an agreement on the project.
Get the Story:
A year after federal approval, legislators push governor on casino
(The Racine Journal Times 8/20)
$P Bureau of Indian Affairs Documents:
Press
Release | Fact
Sheet: Menominee Nation Decision | Section
20 Determination: Menominee Nation Off-Reservation Casino
Related Stories:
Governor acts slow
on Menominee Nation off-reservation casino (08/07)