Rep. Franks still upset about Tohono O'odham Nation casino

Thursday, January 24, 2013  

It looks like Rep. Trent Franks (R-Arizona) might reintroduce a bill that would bar the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona from using newly acquired lands for gaming.

Franks sponsored H.R.2938 in the 112th Congress. The bill amends prevents the tribe from engaging in Class II or Class III gaming on lands acquired in connection with the Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Act of 1986.

The House voted 343 to 78 in June 2012 to pass the bill. But it never went anywhere in the Senate.

The tribe later won a decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that supported its right to acquire the land. Franks, however, says new information submitted by casino opponentss shows the tribe has deceived the public.

“When I introduced H.R.2938 - an earnest attempt to settle this issue for good, preventing the Tohono O’odham Nation from misusing the Gila Bend Act to open an off-reservation casino more than 100 miles from their tribal lands - state, tribal and local leaders agreed it was the right thing to do. Now we know that our efforts to prevent the Tohono O’odham Nation from building a casino in Glendale are all the more justified," Franks said in a press release, The Glendale Star reported.

Get the Story:
Franks says Tohono O'Odham Nation deceived voters (The Glendale Star 1/24)

Litigation continues over Tohono O'odham Nation casino plan (1/16)