Artist's rendering of the proposed West Valley Resort. Image from Tohono O'odham Nation.
The House Natural Resources Committee voted 35-5 on Wednesday to pass H.R.1410, a bill that prevents the Tohono O'odham Nation from opening an off-reservation casino in the metro Phoenix area. The Keep the Promise Act doesn't mention the tribe by name. But it bars all forms of gaming on land placed in trust in the Phoenix area after April 9, 2013 -- a provision that applies to the proposed West Valley Resort. The five votes against the bill came from four Democrats and one Republican -- Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California), who has been friendly to tribal interests. But eight Democrats -- including Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), the new ranking member of the committee -- joined a larger number of Republicans in support of the measure. If the bill comes to a vote on the House floor, more Democrats are likely to support it. But it faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where gaming issues remain highly controversial. The Obama administration opposes the bill, raising the prospect of a veto threat from the White House. Audio from the committee's debate on the bill can be found on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud:
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Full Committee Markup on H.R. 555, H.R. 586, H.R. 638, H.R. 1394, H.R. 1410, H.R. 1459, H.R. 1513, H.R. 1965, H.R. 2197, H.R. 2337, H.R. 2640, S. 130, S. 157, S. 304, and S. 459 (July 24, 2013) Related Stories:
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