Congressman John Sullivan is pushing a bill that would give cities a voice in approving casino locations.
It's in response to the controversial move by the Kialegee tribe to build a casino in Broken Arrow.
The bill would give people 120 days to formally object to a proposed gaming site.
He released the following statement Wednesday:
"What I am doing is very simple, I am giving local government officials and the people they represent a chance to have their voice heard before a casino can set up shop in their neighborhood. Right now, there is no formal avenue for them to express their concerns or have those concerns taken into consideration – look at what is happening with the Kialegee Tribal Town Casino, the people of Broken Arrow are outraged not to have a say about what goes on in the local community, and they should be."
"My goal with this legislation is to ensure that situations like the Kialegee Tribal Town Casino never happen again. As I have said before, I am deeply concerned this precedent setting situation could lead to the opening of pandora's box where Indian land can be leased by private contractors to open up casino's anywhere they please –regardless of the churches, schools and homes that may be right across the street. We cannot allow that to happen without ensuring all citizens within a community are given equal consideration under the law."
"Let me be clear, this legislation is not about stopping tribes from using gaming as an economic development tool. This is about formally preserving the long standing positive working relationship between tribes and local communities that we value in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the process the Kialegee Tribal Town has used to push for this casino site, against the strong objections of the community, has not been conducted in the open and transparent manner necessary to continue this longstanding positive relationship."
