Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 earlier this month to send a letter of support for draft federal legislation introduced in April that would regulate “reservation shopping” by Indian tribes trying to build casinos.

U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Senator Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) on April 8 introduced “The Tribal Gaming Eligibility Act,” which would clarify “the standards that must be met before new casinos can be opened on newly or recently acquired Indian lands.”

Former Plymouth Councilwoman Elida Malick, also a co-founder of the group “No Casino in Plymouth,” urged supervisors to put the issue on their agenda and “support Senator Feinstein’s proposed legislation.” Malick, in an April 25 letter, said that the “rules as (Feinstein) is attempting to get into place could have saved the city of Plymouth and the county many thousands of dollars and if implemented will save the city and county may thousands of dollars in the future.”

Feinstein’s release said “in the last decade, the Department of the Interior has received dozens of applications from tribes seeking to build casinos on lands that are hundreds, or even thousands of miles away from where they live today.”

“The Feinstein/Kyl legislation ends this practice of reservation shopping by requiring that tribes only open casinos on trust land acquired after the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 if the tribe meets certain conditions,” or if it can “demonstrate a substantial modern connection to the land,” and can “Demonstrate a substantial aboriginal or ancestral connection to the land.”

She said in the release that “some tribes have abused their unique right to operate casinos and have ignored the intent of Congress by taking land into trust miles away from their historical lands,” doing it “simply to produce the most profitable casino and the greatest number of potential gamblers, often with little regard to the local communities.”

Kyl said the “Indian Gaming Regulator Act was originally intended to promote tribal economic development and self-sufficiency – not to enable tribes to become gambling enterprises that constantly expand to new casino locations.”

Supervisor Louis Boitano said he thought it was “a no-brainer to offer support,” and suggested sending a thank-you letter to support the proposed legislation. Supervisor Ted Novelli said “it’s good to see Senators on both sides of the aisle looking at this tribal gaming eligibility.”

Boitano said “Feinstein has been helpful all along.” Supervisor Richard Forster said they should also send a copy of the letter to Senator Barbara Boxer’s son, “who is a lobbyist in this area.” They also indicated sending it to Congressman Dan Lungren.

Plymouth City Council on Thursday will consider a similar request by a citizen to support that legislation.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.