Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) is urging Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to approve an off-reservation casino for two Chippewa bands.

Baldwin says the community supports the St. Croix and Bad River Chippewa project. She said the two tribes have historical ties to the Beloit area, near the Illinois border.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is currently reviewing the tribe's land-into-trust application. It is expected to be sent to Kempthorne by mid-March.

Under the two-part determination process of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the state governor has final say over off-reservation casinos. The Ho-Chunk Nation opposes the Chippewa casino.

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Rep. Baldwin urges support of casino (The Beloit Daily News 2/12)