And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: "United Tribe of Shawnee Indians" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Casinos go under study By ROGER MYERS The Capital-Journal Facing a growing number of non-Kansas Indian tribes seeking to establish casinos in the state, the Legislature has named a special interim committee to study the issue of state-tribal gaming compacts this summer and fall. The special panel also is expected to examine the possibility of giving the four tribes in Kansas the exclusive right to operate gambling facilities in exchange for the tribes paying some revenue to the state. Kansas receives little revenue from the four instate tribes, which all operate casinos, and some legislators -- including House Speaker Robin Jennison -- think it is time they started paying to operate in the state. An attorney who represents three of the four Kansas tribes said his tribal clients might be interested in considering paying the state in exchange for the exclusive right to operate casinos in Kansas. "There have been a handful of inquiries from out-of-state tribes, and they each have something different in mind," said Mike Matson, spokesman for Gov. Bill Graves. "This administration has been in constant communication with the Kansas tribes, with regard to issues such as taxation, law enforcement and a host of other matters. Obviously, the Legislature saw a need to corral all these issues by creating a committee to study them, and he fully supports the interim committee study." There has been interest shown by Oklahoma-based tribes for gaming facilities in Neosho, Miami, Johnson and Wyandotte counties. Rep. Tony Powell, R-Wichita, the newly appointed chairman of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, said, "The word I'm getting is that the next session of the Legislature is going to have to deal with either requests for more gaming compacts or renegotiation of existing compacts, or both. "There is a lot to criticize about the original compacts the state negotiated with the four Kansas tribes. They were not a very good deal at all." The original compacts were negotiated in 1995 and were approved by the 1995 Legislature. Topeka attorney Ron Hein, who represents the Kickapoo, Potawatomi and Sac and Fox tribes, said he doesn't think the three tribes would be interested in reopening negotiations on their gaming compacts with the state. But he said they might look at reopening the agreements to talk about swapping exclusivity for payments to the state. Copyright 1999 The Topeka Capital-Journal Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
