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Governor quietly approves
massive expansion of gambling
House Republican Deputy Leader: “There’s a reason
this new compact
appendix for 27 tribes was signed late on a
Friday when fewer people were paying attention”
Gov. Chris Gregoire
approved a new compact appendix covering 27 tribes late Friday. The
action stems from a
new, historic compact she approved for the Spokane Tribe of Indians
which allowed other tribes to add identical provisions to their
compacts.
“The governor just quietly approved a massive expansion of gambling in
our state,” said Deputy Republican Leader Doug Ericksen. “There’s
a reason this new compact appendix for 27 tribes was signed late on a
Friday when fewer people were paying attention. It’s because this is a
horrible decision for the state. It’s also puzzling that an issue of
this magnitude is not worthy of a news release on the
governor’s website.”
The quiet nature of the governor’s recent actions mirrors her approach
when announcing the new compact with the Spokane Tribe of Indians. That
announcement was distributed on the evening of Friday, February 16.
Ericksen pointed out in an earlier
news release that when the governor approved the Spokane Tribe
Gaming Compact, it allowed other tribes to add identical provisions to
their compacts. He concluded that this would lead to a large expansion
of gambling throughout the state.
A representative of the governor’s office disagreed with Ericksen
and took to the radio to say, “…the Spokane Tribe Compact does not
set any kind of precedent they (other tribes) will be able to use ... I
don’t see that this is a precedent set in any way, shape or form.”
He added, “I don’t think you’ll see an increase in the number of
(gambling) facilities.”
“Either the governor and her staff were misinformed, or they are trying
to minimize the issue. Either way, it’s not good for the state,” said
Ericksen, R-Ferndale. “The voters have soundly rejected an expansion
of gambling by defeating three statewide initiatives. The governor says
she is personally opposed to gambling, but her decisions don’t reflect
this – or the will of the voters.”
Ericksen also remains concerned that the state’s bargaining
position has been compromised considering how many campaign
contributions the governor and her party have received from tribes. He
believes there is a simple solution to the problem.
House Bill 1257 would require legislative approval of tribal
compacts. The measure died without a hearing in the Democrat-controlled
House.
For more information on Ericksen visit:
http://www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/Ericksen/
Note: The governor representative statements were taken from an
interview with KGMI (790 AM) radio in Bellingham.
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