CNIGA, TASIN Support Ratified Amended Compacts

The California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), the largest regional Indian gaming association in the country, along with TASIN (Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations) have voted to support four Southern California tribes' and oppose any efforts to overturn the compacts they negotiated with the State of California.

The CINGA action came during a full meeting of the association and was announced in a press-release issued mid-day yesterday.

“The efforts by outside third parties who have their own financial or political agendas is a direct challenge to the future of the Indian gaming industry and all California tribes, whether they have gaming operations or not,” said Anthony Miranda, chair of the organization, in a prepared statement. “CNIGA views these efforts as a direct assault on the sovereign right of all tribal governments throughout the country to negotiate gaming compacts on a government-to-government basis.”

Typically, it is CNIGA's policy not to get involved in individual compacts or negotiations. Miranda said the organization took a position on this matter because the compacts were already approved and overturning them would hurt all tribes, particularly poorer tribes.

The compact amendments call for the tribes to pay $9 million annually into the state?s Revenue Sharing Trust Fund which provides money to non-gaming tribes. The $9 million is more than double what the four tribes currently pay into the fund.

“I personally urge Californians who are approached to sign petitions seeking to overturn these compacts to reject those efforts and support the tribes increased payments to the state for vitally needed services,” Miranda said. “If these compacts are overturned it will remove hundreds of millions of dollars from the 2007-2008 budget awaiting state Senate approval.”

"Our TASIN members voted to stand united with our fellow tribes in opposition to these misguided referendums," TASIN Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said in prepared statement released mid-Tuesday. "These referendums strike at the very core of the right of tribal governments to negotiate and execute gaming compacts in good-faith with the state."

CNIGA represents 65 federally recognized member tribes, and is the oldest and largest tribal organization in California. CNIGA is dedicated to protecting the sovereign right of Indian tribes to have gaming on their land. It acts as a planning and coordinating agency for legislative, policy, legal and communications efforts on behalf of its members and serves as an industry forum for information and resources.

TASIN, formed in 1995, is an intergovernmental association of 14 tribes in Southern California which has as its members the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Augustine Band of Mission Indians, the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Pechanga Band, the Ramona Band of Cahuilla Indians, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Santa Rosa Band of Mission Indians, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the Soboba Band of Luise񯠉ndians, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla, and the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.

Complete Articles:
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