Starting in April 2019, we hope to start renovation work on, what will be, a state of the art “Tribal Leaders’ Lounge” in the downstairs part of Indian Gaming’s building. The Lounge will be available for all of Indian Country to come and relax between meetings on Capitol Hill, or just to visit a little slice of Indian Country in Washington, D.C. The National Indian Gaming Association and its staff are off to what should be a great 2019 both fiscally and administratively. Please stop by our offices anytime you are in D.C. Our doors are open for Tribal Leaders to come and relax during busy Hill visits, or just to come by, grab a snack in our kitchen, and visit with myself and the staff. We encourage all of Indian Country to come and use Indian Gaming’s offices while advocating on important Tribal issues. As we begin 2018, there is a lot of legislative and regulatory work ahead with regards to Tribal labor laws, gaming regulation, and protecting our Tribal Governments from severe federal budget cuts. I am proud to serve Indian Gaming in a role that helps to bring Indian Country’s voice to policy positions formulated in cooperation with all of our incredible Tribal organizations. Working with my peers in D.C. at NCAI, NACA, NIHB, NIEA, NAFOA and others, is a humbling experience. Each organization brings a unique viewpoint to the table, but not once has anyone ever lost focus on protecting Tribal Sovereignty and working to enhance Tribal self-determination. With that, I submit to you Indian Gaming’s 2018 Year in Review. 2018 Year in Review The National Indian Gaming Association and Indian Country successfully moved the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (TLSA) through the House of Representatives, the fourth year in a row House leadership has voted to restore tribal sovereignty over on reservation labor issues. Indian Country owes a special “thank you” to Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK), Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), who helped rally support for Tribal Sovereignty. Unfortunately, the TLSA failed to secure 60 votes in the Senate to advance the legislation to the floor. Indian Country now has a tried and true friend in Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) whose persistence convinced Majority Leader McConnell to schedule the cloture vote. Indian Country secured 57 votes for TLSA, including several Democratic Senators that voted to defend Tribal Sovereignty even though they are in strong Union states. In 2019, Indian Country will again call on our friends from both sides of the aisle, including ranking member Senator Udall on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, to make the necessary changes to the National Labor Relations Act and protect tribal sovereignty and restore tribal government jurisdiction over their labor issues. The Future of Indian Gaming The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision in Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association stating that PAPSA is unconstitutional, there has been non-stop discussion about its impact on Indian Gaming. Without a doubt, states that do not have Tribal-State Gaming Compacts have leapt into sports gambling. Most
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