Indian Gaming
Federal Recognition Process *
The Tribal and Local Community Relationship
Improvement Act *
Our nation has a responsibility to uphold certain unbreakable
obligations to the continent's native peoples, and groups
meeting the established and objective criteria should receive
federal recognition and its attendant benefits. But granting
federal recognition means creating sovereign nations and must
be done with the utmost care.
Because federally-recognized tribes are eligible to automatically
receive benefits and, in many instances, are permitted to
establish gaming operations, acknowledgment is a decision
that should follow a well-defined, non-political process.
With regard to the Schagticokes, on October 12, 2005, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) rejected attempts by the Schaghticoke
Tribal Nation and the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation to be federally
recognized tribes.
Both the Schaghticokes and Easterns failed to demonstrate
they each had existed as a tribe through the centuries with
no lapses, and that they had an intact community with cultural
and social interaction. Both tribes had periods of many of
years in the 19th and 20th centuries which were lacking evidence
in the political and community categories.
The Schaghticokes and Eastern Pequots are not legitimate
tribes and this historic decision underscored that fact. This
is great news for the state of Connecticut and communities
threatened by casino expansion.
The decision – a reversal of previous decisions --
reaffirms what we have been saying for years: the recognition
process is flawed and needs to be corrected. Granting federal
recognition means creating sovereign nations and it must be
conducted in a fair, objective and transparent manner.
I will continue to work with Governor Rell, Attorney General
Blumenthal and the Congressional Delegation to reform the
federal recognition process.
Federal Recognition Process
Our nation has a responsibility to uphold certain unbreakable
obligations to the continent's native peoples, and groups
meeting the established and objective criteria should receive
federal recognition and its attendant benefits. But granting
federal recognition means creating sovereign nations and must
be done with the utmost care.
Because federally-recognized tribes are eligible to automatically
receive benefits and, in many instances, are permitted to
establish gaming operations, acknowledgment is a decision
that should follow a well-defined, non-political process.
With regard to the Schagticokes, on October 12, 2005, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) rejected attempts by the Schaghticoke
Tribal Nation and the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation to be federally
recognized tribes.
Both the Schaghticokes and Easterns failed to demonstrate
they each had existed as a tribe through the centuries with
no lapses, and that they had an intact community with cultural
and social interaction. Both tribes had periods of many of
years in the 19th and 20th centuries which were lacking evidence
in the political and community categories.
The Schaghticokes and Eastern Pequots are not legitimate
tribes and this historic decision underscored that fact. This
is great news for the state of Connecticut and communities
threatened by casino expansion.
The decision – a reversal of previous decisions --
reaffirms what we have been saying for years: the recognition
process is flawed and needs to be corrected. Granting federal
recognition means creating sovereign nations and it must be
conducted in a fair, objective and transparent manner.
I will continue to work with Governor Rell, Attorney General
Blumenthal and the Congressional Delegation to reform the
federal recognition process.
The Tribal and Local Community Relationship
Improvement Act
Under current law, local communities often have little say
as to whether large gaming operations should be started in
their towns.
For that reason, I joined Congressman Frank Wolf to introduce
H.R. 3745, the Tribal and Local Community Relationship Improvement
Act, which would allow state legislators to exercise more
control on the expansion of tribal gaming.
The Tribal and Local Community Relationship Improvement Act:
- Requires state legislature approval of new gambling facilities;
- Directs the President to establish the Advisory Committee
on Minimum Regulatory Requirements and Licensing Standards
for Indian Gaming, which will create minimum requirements
for federal regulation of Indian gaming; and
- Establishes a commission to report to Congress on: living
and health standards in Indian country; the effectiveness
of federal programs designed to improve standards in these
designated areas; and the economic, environmental and social
impacts of Indian gaming facilities on local communities.
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