SECRETARY’S REPORT PAULETTE JORDAN Coeur D’Alene
I want to extend my greetings and thanks this year to all the Tribal Leaders that have journeyed to beautiful San Diego. It is a privilege to serve as the Executive Secretary of the National Indian Gaming Association. The past year was very busy and interesting both personally and professionally. In what turned out to be an historic 2018 election cycle, NIGA is now working with a new Congress and over 100 female members of Congress. This includes the first two Native American women in history to be elected to Congress, Representatives Deb Haaland and Sharice Davis. You can be sure that NIGA is working hard to help their transition to serving their constituents and listening to Indian Country’s priorities. I have witnessed the economic hurdles Tribal governments must overcome to address the shortcomings in our tribal educational, health, and administrative agencies. Gaming revenues are a vital source of investing in our communities to strengthen the governmental services provided to our citizens. In 2018, Tribal revenues grew by 2% to over $34 billion and more importantly, the employment numbers in Indian gaming surpassed 750,000 direct jobs created. NIGA will continue to provide leadership and discussion on exploring new ways that Tribal Governments can use their resources to bring self-sustaining economic development to our reservations. Tribes are connected to their lands in a spiritual sense and have an enduring responsibility to protect and maintain access to our natural environment. Indian Country continues to be a shining example of striking that balance between maintaining a vibrant industry and keeping our environment healthy for the continued use and enjoyment of generations to come.
14 INDIAN GAMING - ANNUAL REPORT 2019
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