Lawmakers still trying to stop Tohono O'odham Nation casino

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Ongoing construction of the West Valley Resort in Glendale, Arizona. Image from Facebook

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The Tohono O'odham Nation has already broken ground on an off-reservation casino but lawmakers in Arizona are still trying to stop the tribe from opening the facility.

The tribe has won a series of federal and state court decisions affirming its right to use its trust land for the $500 million West Valley Resort. Plans call for an initial structure to open by the end of the year.

The Keep the Promise Act, introduced as S.152 and H.R. 308, would halt the effort. The bill bars Class II and Class III gaming on lands recently taken into trust in the Phoenix area -- a situation that only applies to the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Artist's rendering of the West Valley Resort under construction in Arizona. Image from Facebook

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“The courts have spoken, and this land is now part of the Tohono O’odham Nation’s reservation," Chairman Ned Norris, Jr. said in a press release. "Construction is fully underway and we are committed to completing a beautiful new facility and creating more than 500 permanent jobs this year.”

The tribe's land was taken into trust under the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Act of 1986. The law compensates the tribe for a reservation that was flooded by the federal government.

Tribes with existing casinos in the Phoenix area are leading the fight against the new development. The city of Glendale was once against the project but now supports it.

“We share the objections of many fellow Arizonans when we see attempts to bring Indian gaming to metropolitan areas that are on lands not connected to an extant reservation,” Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) said in a press release. They are sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Arizona) introduced the House version.

Get the Story:
Bills to block casino near Glendale reintroduced (The Arizona Republic 1/15)
Federal lawmakers revive effort to scuttle $400 million West Valley casino project (The Glendale Daily News-Sun 1/15)

An Opinion:
EJ Montini: Should tribe be punished for outfoxing the government? (The Arizona Republic 1/15) Related Stories:
Bill to stop Tohono O'odham Nation casino fails to clear Congress (12/22)