Anti-gaming bill shot down by narrow vote

The House State Affairs Committee has voted 8-7 to kill HB 127, the anti-tribal gaming bill, which sought to amend the law Idaho voters enacted by initiative in 2002 permitting tribal casinos. That law has been upheld in both state and federal courts.

Here’s how the vote broke down:

Voting yes to kill the bill: Reps. Monks, Crane, Palmer, Holtzclaw, Armstrong, Manwaring, Smith, and Jordan.

Voting against the motion: Reps. Loertscher, Luker, Barbieri, Harris, Giddings, Zito and Scott. Betsy Russell/Eye on Boise. More Here

Here is the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s complete press release sent out this morning:

State Affairs Committee Votes to Hold Anti-Gaming Bill

Boise – Today, the House Committee on State Affairs concluded their hearing on House Bill 127, which was an attempt to undermine tribal gaming in Idaho. The committee voted 8-7 to hold the bill indefinitely.

“Tribes have been operating casinos legally for more than twenty years and we’re proud to be a partner in making Idaho strong by creating jobs and supporting schools, local programs, and infrastructure that benefit all Idahoans. It’s discouraging to see a bill like this come up, but we are pleased that the committee members recognized the confusion that would be created by this bill and saw fit keep it from moving any further,” said Coeur d’Alene Tribal Chairman Chief Allan of the committee vote.

The bill, sponsored by State Affairs Chairman Representative Tom Loertscher, purported to clarify the state’s policy stance on gambling in Idaho. However, during the committee hearings, it appeared the bill would actually create confusion.

Testimony by the Chairman and other representatives reflected on the Tribe’s longstanding attitude towards government-to-government relations and Allan reiterated his commitment to being open and willing to sit down and discuss problems in good faith negotiations.

Two recent Attorney General opinions indicated that HB 127 would likely have led to another lawsuit. Tribal gaming in Idaho has already been through several legal challenges but tribes believed the issue to be largely settled after Proposition 1 was passed in 2002. Subsequent legal challenges, including the 2009 Idaho Supreme Court decision in Knox v Idaho further settled the issue of the legality of tribal gaming.