Hearing of the Committee on Indian Affairs on Lytton Rancheria of California
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN McCAIN, U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
The Chairman. Good morning. This morning, we will hear testimony supporting and opposing S. 113, a bill introduced by
Senator Feinstein to remove language from the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act that benefited the Lytton Rancheria of
California.
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The Chairman. This language had the effect of making certain property in the San Francisco Bay Area immediately
eligible for gaming pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act without going through the normal processes required under
that act.
I have said before that I have concerns with the manner in which the Lytton's off-reservation casino was authorized. The
question before us now, however, is what to do about it. The Lytton Band of Pomo declared just last month that it is no
longer seeking legislative ratification of the gaming compact and so the prospect of a class III casino with thousands of
slot machines is not imminent.
Nevertheless, the issue, as we will hear today, is still controversial. I look forward to hearing from all of our
witnesses. It has been my practice for many years that when a member of the Senate requests a hearing on an issue that I have tried to accommodate those wishes. Even after the Lytton Rancheria changed their plans, I asked Senator Feinstein if she wanted to still proceed with the hearing. She said she did so, so therefore we are going to have this hearing today.
This will not be the last hearing in this committee of the issue of taking land into trust for purposes of gaming. I note
the presence of my friend, Senator Inouye, with whom I worked on the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. I think he would agree
that never in our wildest dreams at the time of the formulation of that legislation did we envision that Indian gaming would
become the $19 billion a year enterprise that it is today. It is long overdue time to review the impact and implications of
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act from a broad variety of aspects, not just that of taking land into trust for gambling
purposes, but whether there is sufficient oversight of Indian gaming and whether there needs to be better enforcement of
existing law.
I thank Senator Feinstein and my old friend from the House of Representatives, Congressman George Miller, if he would come forward. I will recognize Senator Dorgan and then Senator Thomas and then Senator Inouye.
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