Stand Up for California! is a statewide organization with a focus on gambling issues including tribal gaming, card clubs, horse racing, charitable gaming and the state lottery.

Judge denies federal request to drop casino suit
3/25/2008, Record Net
JACKSON - A federal judge has ruled in favor of Amador County on two pretrial motions in the county's lawsuit against the proposed Buena Vista Rancheria casino near Ione.Judge Richard W. Roberts of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday denied a motion by the federal government to dismiss the lawsuit. Amador County is suing the federal government over a decision by federal officials to recognize the proposed casino site on Coal Mine Road as "Indian land" equivalent to a reservation where a tribe may legally operate a gambling business.

Banks, Processors Struggle with Proposed Regs for Web Gambling
3/24/2008, Digital Transactions.Net
The ABA says that the law puts an "exceptional burden" on banks, noting that the UIGEA admits that even traditional law-enforcement mechanisms often are inadequate for enforcing gambling prohibitions or regulations on the Internet, especially where such gambling crosses state or national borders. "In other words, in the view of the drafters of the legislation, all the sophistication of the FBI, Secret Service, and other police computerized detection systems and investigative expertise devoted to fighting terrorism and financial crime are inadequate to the task of apprehending the unlawful gambling business or confiscating its revenue. ABA believes that punting this obligation to the participants in the U.S. payment system is an unprecedented delegation of government responsibility with no prospect of practical success in exchange for all the burden it imposes," the ABA says. The Consumer Financial Service Committee of the State Bar of California echoes the ABA's concerns: "It is curious, and quite telling that the private sector is expected to perform the Herculean task that government is admittedly not qualified to handle."

Joint casino venture for county tribes may be dead
3/24/2008, San Diego Union Tribune
SACRAMENTO - An unprecedented joint casino venture between two San Diego County Indian tribes appears to be dead after federal officials rejected a gambling agreement needed to build the long-stalled project. The compact for the Ewiiaapaayp band would have allowed the six-member tribe to build a large new casino on the Viejas reservation near Alpine. In exchange, Viejas would have shared the profits.
Battin bill honors state's contractual obligation to tribes3/22/2008, North County Times - Opinion
The tribal perspective was missing in a recent article on state Sen. Jim Battin's legislation that deals with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration's artificial limit on machine licenses. I. Nelson Rose, a professed expert on gambling, was quoted as saying that "the (Battin) bill has little chance of passing, because it does not require tribes to pay more money beyond what is agreed in their existing compacts ... If it's not going to give more money to the state, then the question is, why do it?" Why indeed?

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Upcoming Hearings

Public Meeting: Expansion of facility - Draft Environmental Impact Report will be presented by United Auburn Indian Community.  Tribe is required by law to hold a public hearing on the proposed expansion. 2 p.m. March 26, 2008 at Mc Bean Park Pavillion, 65 McBean Park Drive, Lincoln, CA. Comment will be recieved through April 10, 2008.

Public Scoping Hearing:Off Reservation Proposal - Manzanita Band in the City of Calexico.  March 27,  BOS Chambers Imperical County, 940 W. Main St., El Centro. 6pm to 9pm. Or mail comments to Amy Dutschke, acting Regional Director, Pacific Regional Office, BIA, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA. 92825

Public Scoping Hearing: Off Reservation Proposal - April 9, 2008, 6 p.m., Elks Lodge in Marysville, 920 D. Street.  The hearing is for public input related to the enterpise Rancheria proposed fee to trust land acquistion of 40 acres and the subsequent development of an off reservation casino resort complex in Yuba County.

Upcoming Conference

North American Regulators Association June 10-13, 2008   www.nagra.org  Register on Line.

LINKS and Legislation

 

Stand Up For California - Library

Stand Up For California - Helpful Links

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State Legislation to Watch

AJR 39 -  Assembly Member Huffman

Reaffirmation of the Winneman Wintu.

AB 1314 -Assembly Member Strikland

BINGOAn Act to amend section 326.5 of the California Penal Code.

AB 1328 - Assembly Member Cedillo

 Internet BINGO

AB 1924 - Assembly Member Jeffries

Changes the amount of charitable BINGO  funds that may be used for overhead and other operational expenses.

AB 2026 - Assembly Member  Levine -

The California Gambling Control in conjunction with the Department of Justice, shall perform a study and report its findings to the legislature by June 30, 2009, regarding authorizing interstate Internet Poker.

AB 62 - Sen. Florez - Permits the transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund for eligible recipient tribes should there be insufficient funds in the Special Distribution Fund.

SB 331 -Sen.  Romero - Imposes a state mandated local program to address tresspassers on tribal lands

SB 996 Sen. Florez - This bill would require each tribal state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and a federally recognized Indian Tribe to be ratified by the Legislature in Separate Statute. 

 SB 1201 - Sen. Battin Increases the aggregate limit of gaming devices licenses available for issuance under the 1999 compacts to 122,000 slot machines without tribal state compact renegotiations.
SB 1328 - Sen.  Cedillo - deletes the $250 limitation on bingo game payouts, thereby allows for an award of any denomination. (currently limit $250.00 per pot)
SB - 1570 - Sen. Vincent - Requires the Governor to use best efforts to enusre that satellite wagering on horese racing is one of the forms of gaming offered at any gambling facility authorized under a compact.  
SB 1626 - Sen. Steinberg - Regulates the game of BINGO.
SB 1679 - Sen. Florez - Lottery Reform Bill:  requires that not less than 87% of revenues be used for prizes and to benefit education, 13% for lottery expenses. Total revenue to education will be decided by the Commission but not less than 1,200,000,000. Requires 1 million to be committed to the Office of Problem and Pathological gambling. Defines, expands and loosens restrictions of lottery game themes.

SB 1695 - Sen. Florez - This bill limits the locations of tribal casinos.  Does it limit the political power of local elected?

SCA 20 -Sen.  Vincent - Constitutional Amendment authorizes Roulette and Craps on California Indian lands for compact tribes.

 

Federal Legislation to Watch 

H.R. 5608 Congressman Rahall - mandates that adminstration directly consults with tribes on policies that directly affect their lives.
 
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Last sessions legislation rumored to have legs.

H. R. 3709To authorize inter-tribal transfers of authority in leases between the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay, and for other purposes. (Introduced in House October 1, 2007)

S. 1347 - Sentaor Feinstein: A bill to amend the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act to modify the

date as of which certain tribal land of the Lytton Rancheria of California is deemed to be held in trust and to provide for the conduct of certain activities on the land.  Passed the Senate 11-6-07 and sent to the House.

Rule Making

http://thomas.loc.gov/

Guidance on taking off reservation land into trust for gaming purposes
Jan 3, 2008, Carl Artman, Asst. Secretary of the Interior, BIA

 
Proposed Rule - Secretarily Approval of Compacts within 45 Days
Feb. 11, 2008, Asst. Secretary - Carl Artman - Dept. of the Inter