A Massachusetts legislative committee quickly advanced a Class III gaming compact for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe on Monday amid concerns about the land-into-trust process.

After gaining federal recognition in May 2007, the tribe filed its first land-into-trust application a few months later. But before the Bureau of Indian Affairs made a decision, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Carcieri v. Salazar, ruled that the land-into-trust process is only available to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934.

The case troubles some state lawmakers who worry that the process will take years. But a proposed amendment to the compact to impose a deadline was rejected by the committee.

“I can tell you it would have been a deal breaker,” Vice Chairman Aaron Tobey Jr. told the committee of a potential deadline, State House News Service reported.

The BIA has held public hearings on the tribe's application, which includes a 146-acre gaming site in the city of Taunton.

Get the Story:
State fast-tracks casino legislation (The Cape Cod Times 7/17)
Tribal leader calls land in-trust deadline 'deal breaker' for casino compact (State House News Service 7/17)
Pols ready to go all in on new casino (The Boston Herald 7/17)
Mashpee Wampanoag tribe says deadline would be casino 'deal breaker' (AP 7/17)
State committee recommends casino agreement; Taunton mayor "pleased" (The Taunton Daily Gazette 7/16)
Lawmakers Opt Against Deadline On Mashpee’s Land Bid (WBUR 7/16)
Legal ambiguities face Mashpee Wampanoags (Commonwealth 7/16)

Some Opinions:
Editorial: Let’s make a deal (The Boston Herald 7/17)
Damion Wilmot: A Tribal Casino Coming To Southeastern Massachusetts? Not So Fast... (Mondaq.com 7/17)
Username: indianz@indianz.com. Password: indianz
Rich Tallcot: Gov. Patrick had no reason to settle Mashpee's land claim (The Taunton Daily Gazette 7/17)

Related Stories:
First hearing scheduled on Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe compact (7/16)