Crying wolf: Tribal bill unrelated to Indian gaming

There are a few who are crying wolf, trying to drag down
this simple and critical clarification in federal law by falsely claiming that
it will lead to the “expansion of Indian casinos.” The Carcieri Fix legislation
has no effect on Indian gaming, unless you believe that destroying Indian
tribes is a legitimate way to limit Indian gaming. By this logic, you could
close down our higher educational system to stop nuclear power. The IRA is a
fundamental building block for tribal self-government, and Congress should
clarify the statute to the understanding that has prevailed for so many decades
and that so many tribes have relied upon.   

Indian gaming is a completely separate matter that is
heavily regulated under a separate federal law. We both understand that there
are concerns about expansion of gaming. 
We stand together to urge your opposition – or at least forbearance – on
any amendments related to Indian gaming that have not had the benefit of
hearings and consultation with tribes. The existing limitations in federal law
are substantial and often misunderstood in media reports. Indian gaming is one
of the most successful forms of economic development in Indian Country that has
ever existed, and it has improved the lives of many people. It should not be
addressed by Congress without a full and fair process.  

The Carcieri legislation has bi-partisan support, has been
approved by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, was unanimously included at
the subcommittee level in the FY 2011 House Interior appropriations bill, and
now has passed the House. With all of this progress, we greatly need the 111th
Congress to send the legislation to the president. Without it, the federal
government and Indian tribes will face harmful and needless litigation for many
decades into the future.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) is the co-chair of the Native American
Caucus. Jefferson Keel is president of the National Congress of American
Indians, the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska
Native organization in the country. He is also the Lt. Governor of the
Chickasaw Nation.