U.S. House Republican leaders attempted to resurrect a bill late last week that might have killed the Anthony casino proposal, but have apparently abandoned their effort.
Though the House has not yet adjourned for the year, the bill, according to The Hill, was too controversial to pass in the final days of Republican control of Congress, and an effort to pass it has been abandoned.
The last-ditch attempt was supported by outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert of
The bill, which would have killed most off-reservation casino proposals, was sponsored by Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., who lost his bid for re-election in November. It passed the House 247-171 in September but needed a two-thirds majority for approval.
The bill contained a grandfather clause that applied to tribes with historical ties to the areas they wanted to develop. Though the Jemez claim to have historical ties to this area, they have not provided proof, so it was never clear if the bill would kill the pueblo’s proposal to build, along with
News of the bill’s resurrection became public Wednesday when an interior department staffer announced to a gathering of tribal officials and Indian lobbyists that Hastert and Boehner would try to push the bill through before the end of the year, The Hill reported.
That shocked many who were present. Tribes have urged Congress to wait for the Department of Interior to update its own rules on off-reservation casinos. According to the Hill, the public comment period on the proposed rule change closes Friday. A final rule is expected in the spring.
The current rules require local community support and the approval of the interior secretary and state’s governor before an off-reservation casino can be built.