SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Assembly has approved State Senator Bill Dodd’s (D-Napa) measure that would ratify key intergovernmental agreements between the state and Native American tribes for the purposes of gaming.
“This legislation helps enhance economic stability and self-sufficiency among California’s first people while providing revenue and good-paying jobs for thousands of others across our state,” said Sen. Dodd. “It’s a win for everyone and I thank my fellow lawmakers for their support.”
The federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands. The California Constitution authorizes the governor to negotiate and conclude those compacts, subject to ratification by the legislature. The agreements would take effect immediately.
These compacts will provide tens of millions of dollars in revenue to local communities, funding wildfire prevention efforts and assisting non-gaming tribes with critical services, from healthcare and education to infrastructure and preservation of tribal lands.
Senate Bill 931, which was approved by the Assembly, heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom for a signature following a Senate concurrence vote. It applies to the following tribes:
- The Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation
- The La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the La Posta Indian Reservation
- The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe
- The Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria
Also, the bill amends compacts with the following tribes:
- Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians
- The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians
- The Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria