On Dec. 18, 2012, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) quietly tried to bring up legislation allowing Native American tribes to open casinos in Texas.
Reid, the most powerful ally the Nevada gaming industry has in Washington, attempted to ?hotline? a bill he had introduced just two weeks before. There were no public hearings on Reid?s proposal, and there was no sign that Texas?s two Republican senators supported the measure.
Continue ReadingRepublicans objected to Reid?s move and it was never acted on, dying with the end of the 112th Congress.
But Reid?s proposal closely resembles a measure that disgraced former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff tried to get former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) ? who went to prison over his dealings with Abramoff ? to insert into a 2002 election reform bill. That proposal was never enacted either.
Nearly a decade after the Abramoff scandal rocked the nation?s capital, Reid?s motives are far different than what drove Abramoff and Ney. As a fierce champion of the gambling industry, the majority leader is just one player ? along with the Nevada-based gaming industry and Native American tribes ? interested in opening up Texas to casinos. The Lone Star State?s megamarket of 26 million customers is at stake.
Currently, there is only one casino in Texas. It?s run by an Indian tribe, hosts bingo only and is located by the border with Mexico, far from the big cities of Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. Texas has a state-run lottery as well as horse and dog racing. The topic is likely to get renewed attention as the Texas Legislature meets for 2013.
Reid is acting on behalf of the Alabama-Coushatta tribe, which in 2002 had its casino in Livingston ? a small town in East Texas ? shut down by state authorities. The tribe was a victim of Abramoff?s illegal activities, as the onetime GOP lobbyist was working behind the scenes to pressure Texas authorities to close the casino while simultaneously approaching the tribe for a lucrative lobbying contract to keep it open.
Reid aides said the Nevada Democrat is simply trying to help a beleaguered Indian tribe that has suffered harm at the hands of state and federal government. In February 2012, the Alabama-Coushatta sued the U.S. government, including the Interior and Agriculture departments and the National Park Service, over its alleged failure to live up to the fiduciary duty owed to the tribe, including giving it a cut of the sale of minerals and timber from hereditary tribal lands.
?Sen. Reid has been a leader in standing up for Native American communities throughout his career, and it is an issue he feels passionately about,? said Kristen Orthman, a Reid spokesman. ?In this case, he believed the tribe had been wronged and sought this technical legislative correction so the Alabama-Coushatta can continue to develop their economy.?
Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/reids-indian-gaming-bill-has-echoes-86190.html
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