AB 1442 Passes Out of Senate on 23 to 9 Vote
    SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The following joint press
statement was released today by Chairman Vern Castro, Table Mountain
Rancheria, Chairperson Margaret Dalton, Jackson Rancheria, Chairperson Paula
Lorenzo, Rumsey Rancheria, Chairman Robert Smith, Pala Band of Mission
Indians:
    Senate passage of Assembly Bill 1442 (Cedillo), which ratifies the
11 Tribal-State compacts that tribes have successfully negotiated and signed
with the State of California in recent months, marks significant progress for
our tribal governments.  We are finally one major step closer to having a
viable agreement that will allow our governments to reach our goal of long-
term self-sufficiency.
    Many people, including legislative leadership, the governor's office and
responsible tribal leadership, have spent an incredible amount of time and
energy to ensure passage of AB 1442 out of the Senate.  We are grateful to the
commitment and hard work of the bill's principal co-authors Senate President
pro Tempore John Burton and Senator Ken Maddy; and we welcome the opportunity
to work with Assemblyman Cedillo and co-authors Alby, Campbell, Floyd, House,
Kuehl, Lempert, Migden, Richter, Shelly, Thomson, and Woods toward the
ultimate success of this measure.
    We believe our compacts, each negotiated individually by our governments
and acknowledged in AB 1442, recognize our sovereign status and will permit
our tribes to continue to advance economically, while sharing reasonable
regulatory authority over gaming activities with the state.
    Passage of AB 1442 recognizes our governments' sovereign choice to enter
into these agreements and ensures that our compacts can become working
documents.
    AB 1442 (Cedillo) expressly recognizes tribal sovereignty and ensures that
negotiated tribal-state compacts can become working documents to help tribes
maintain economic self-sufficiency.
    Specifically, AB 1442:
    * Authorizes the governor to negotiate compacts between Indian tribes and
the State of California in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
(IGRA)
    * Ratifies 11 tribal-state compacts entered into by Indian tribes and the
state, including:
    Barona Band of Mission Indians
    Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians
    Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria
    Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians
    Mooretown Rancheria of Concow/Maidu Indians
    Pala Band of Mission Indians
    Redding Rancheria
    Rumsey Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians
    Sycuan Band of Mission Indians
    Table Mountain Rancheria
    Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians
    The terms of these compacts apply only to the State of California and the
tribe that has signed it, without binding any other tribe.
    * Provides that any future compacts deemed materially identical to those
ratified by this measure also will be ratified by the Legislature within
30 days
    * Acknowledges the sovereign right of tribes to negotiate and enter into
compacts materially different from those ratified by this measure with
approval of a majority of the Legislature
    * Does not limit further negotiation on numbers of lottery devices that
each Indian tribe may operate
    * Authorizes the governor to waive the state's sovereign immunity to suit
in federal court in connection with any action brought by an Indian tribe
under the IGRA

Link to: California's Modern Indian War