House panel backs bill to block Tohono O'odham Nation casino

Thursday, March 26, 2015

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

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The House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R. 308, the Keep the Promise Act, by a voice vote on Wednesday.

The bill bars Class II and Class III gaming on newly acquired trust lands in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. It doesn't mention any tribes by name but its goal is to stop the Tohono O'odham Nation from opening an off-reservation casino that the local community supports.

"Everyone knows that this job-killing bill would benefit a few wealthy special interests out to protect their market share, at the expense of the West Valley and the entire state of Arizona,” Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said in a statement quoted by Arizona media outlets.

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

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The tribe has already begun construction of the West Valley Resort. Plans call for an initial facility to be open by the end of the year.

Two tribes that already operate casinos in the area are fighting the project. The Gila River Indian Community and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community claim voters were promised that were would be a limit on new gaming facilities in and around Phoenix.

A federal judge, however, said there was nothing in the Class III gaming compact that supported that claim. The ruling was just one in a series of court victories for the Tohono O'odham Nation that the Keep the Promise Act would overturn if it became law.

Indianz.Com SoundCloud: House Natural Resources Committee March 25 2015

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To address that issue, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona) introduced an amendment to H.R.308 that respects the language in the compact. The Republican majority on the committee voted it down by a vote of 21 to 10.

The casino is being built on property that the tribe acquired in connection with the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Replacement Lands Act of 1986. The law compensates the tribe for land that was flooded by the federal government.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs was required to place the property in trust, which occurred in July 2014 after the Obama administration won a lawsuit filed by the rival tribes and casino opponents.

The bill can now be considered by the full House, where a similar bill passed in the last session of Congress. The Senate did not take action, however.

The Senate version is S.152. It has been referred to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which has not scheduled a hearing on the bill.

Get the Story:
House panel’s action prolongs fight against W.V casino (The Glendale Daily News-Sun 3/26)
Franks’ H.R. 308 - Keep the Promise Act passes Natural Resources Committee (The Glendale Star 3/26)
Tribe vs. tribes: US House panel passes bill that would stop new casino near Glendale (The Phoenix Business Journal 3/26)
Tohono O’odham Nation Deterred from Building Casino in Arizona (Casino News Daily 3/25)
West Valley casino faces new challenge (ABC15 News 3/25)

Committee Notice:
Markup on H.R. 152, H.R. 308, H.R. 373, H.R. 404, H.R. 533, H.R. 979, H.R. 984, H.R. 1168, H.R. 1324 (March 25, 2015) Related Stories:
Ned Norris: Tohono O'odham Nation casino a boost to economy (03/10)
Tohono O'odham Nation spends $200M on first phase of casino (3/2)
Opinion: Republicans will block Tohono O'odham Nation casino (2/23)
Tohono O'odham Nation casino won't invoke compact provision (02/09)