Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), chairman of the House Committee on Resources, will introduce a bill to address reservation shopping, The Albany Times-Union reports.

Details are sketchy but it is said the bill will bar tribes from seeking gaming operations in another state. It would also require tribes to show an ancestral connection to land they seek to have placed in trust.

Off-reservation land acquisitions are becoming an issue in Congress this year. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said he plans to hold a hearing on the subject.

Tribes across the nation are also leading the charge. The United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) passed a resolution against reservation shopping at its meeting last week and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) is opposing an off-reservation casino in the Bay Area.

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians of California has organized meetings to draft the kind of legislation Pombo is said to be planning.

Get the Story:
McCain eyes casino deals (The Albany Times-Union 2/13)

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