Indian Gaming > Action on off-reservation casino bills delayed

March 21, 2008

Action on off-reservation casino bills delayed

The House Judiciary Committee won't be taking action any time soon on two off-reservation casino bills until April at the earliest.

H.R. 2176 and H.R. 4115 settle land claims for the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The bills have already been approved by the House Natural Resources Committee.

Normally, that means the bills can go to the House floor for consideration. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) agreed to send them to the House Judiciary Committee for review, delaying final action.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), the chairman of the committee, opposes the bills. He says they set bad precedent for settling land claims for gaming rights.

Officials in Romulus, where an off-reservation casino is welcomed, say Conyers' hasn't decided what to do with the bills. They say a vote by his committee won't come until sometime in April since Congress is in recess right now.

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Casino decision is delayed until April (The Romulus Roman 3/20)