March 09, 2007
March 9, 2007
Agreement protects state's interest, requires legislative approval
LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and D.K. Sprague, tribal chairman of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, known as the Gun Lake Tribe, have reached an agreement on a proposed Class III Gaming Compact. The agreement is consistent with federal law and the process approved by the Michigan Supreme Court in Taxpayers of Michigan Against Casinos v State of Michigan. The compact signed today requires legislative approval.
"The Gun Lake Tribe has won a decisive victory in the federal courts, and it appears that placement of the tribe's Michigan land into federal trust is imminent," Granholm said. "Once the tribe's land goes into trust, the tribe will almost certainly have the right under federal law to open a commercial gaming facility - with or without a compact with the state. Given these circumstances, it is in the best interest of the state to enter into a gaming compact with the tribe to ensure that the state has both some say in the operation of the facility and an opportunity to share in its revenues."
In December 2002, each house of the Michigan Legislature passed a resolution endorsing a proposed gaming compact with the Gun Lake Tribe; that proposed 2002 compact was substantially identical to the compacts previously entered into with four other tribes in 1998. Before leaving office, former Governor John Engler declined to sign the compact but strongly recommended that a compact be approved since under existing federal law, Gun Lake will almost certainly be allowed to open a commercial gaming operation after its lands are placed in federal trust. He concluded that it is in the best interest of the state to enter into a compact with the tribe and thereby have at least some say in the nature and scope of the tribal gaming operation.
As compared to past tribal compacts in Michigan, the gaming compact signed today, if approved by the Legislature and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, provides larger and more stable revenue sharing payments, restricts gaming to persons 21 years of age or older, and assures conformity with other state laws.
*See attached letter
