Artist's rendering of the proposed West Valley Resort. Image from Tohono O'odham Nation.
Leaders of six tribes support H.R.1410, a bill that would prevent the Tohono O'odham Nation from opening an off-reservation casino in Arizona:
New federal legislation introduced by Arizona congressional Reps. Trent Franks, Ed Pastor and Ann Kirkpatrick that would keep compacts intact deserves a fair look. The complexity of the issue has been captured by The Arizona Republic in its editorials and in recent news articles that have delved into the history of the voter-approved Proposition 202 to shed light on how a proposed casino in Glendale has much broader implications. Arizonans who in 2002 voted “yes” on Proposition 202 did so based on the 17 Arizona tribes’ promise that Indian casinos would be kept out of neighborhoods and, as penned by then-Gov. Jane Dee Hull, “Voting ‘yes’ on Proposition 202 ensures that no new casinos will be built in the Phoenix metropolitan area and only one in the Tucson area for at least 23 years.” These commitments were accepted and promoted by 17 Arizona tribes, including the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Arizona. We worked for nearly two years to negotiate a tribal-state plan for limited Indian gaming that was accepted by community leaders, business leaders and elected officials, who in turn publicly advocated for what ultimately became Prop. 202.Get the Story:
Diane Enos, Gregory Mendoza, Sherry Counts, Arlen P. Quetawki, Sherry Cordova and Clinton M. Pattea: Bill would safeguard agreement on casinos (The Arizona Republic 5/13) Also Today:
Casino court win might alter tribe’s relationship with Glendale (The Arizona Republic 5/11)
Q&A: Tribal leader talks casino strife (The Arizona Republic 5/12) District Court Decision:
Arizona v. Tohono O'odam Nation (May 7, 2013) Related Stories:
Opinion: End lawsuits against Tohono O'odham Nation casino (5/10)
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