2013 LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS WITHOUT EXPANDING GAMBLING

The Minnesota Legislature adjourned as required by law on May 20 without having passed any of the various gambling expansion bills introduced earlier in the session, according to MIGA Executive Director John McCarthy.

Among the proposals that went nowhere were bills to authorize  sports betting, a racino at Running Aces harness track, a casino at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and electronic lottery terminals in lottery outlets across the state. 

MIGA tribes had been concerned that a shortfall in Vikings stadium funding might revive interest in various gambling expansion scenarios. Electronic pulltabs authorized in 2012 have failed thus far to produce the revenues needed to pay the state's portion of the Vikings stadium bill, so state leaders have been scrambling to find additional revenue sources. 

As the 2013 session drew to a close, Governor Dayton and legislators agreed on a plan to back up pulltab funding with a combination of new cigarette and corporate income taxes.

McCarthy praised the Governor and legislative leaders for resisting the temptation to rely on more gambling for stadium funding or other revenue needs.

"Most Minnesotans believe we have enough gambling already," he said. "Between the lottery, the horse tracks, the charities and tribal casinos, we have a very mature, well-saturated gaming market. There's just not much room for expanding gambling any further without harming the existing venues."

Even so, McCarthy said, it's a safe bet that many of the same expansion proposals will be back in the 2014 session. "We have to fight this battle and win every year," he concluded. "The expansion forces only have to win once." 

MIGA TO OPPOSE ELECTRONIC LOTTERY GAMES EXPANSION

John McCarthy, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA), said today that MIGA tribes will oppose any effort to introduce new lottery games played on electronic monitors at numerous locations across the state.

The MIGA statement came in response to news that Minnesota State Lottery Director Ed Van Petten has proposed the introduction of keno or other electronic games to ensure adequate funding for the Vikings stadium.

“The Minnesota legislature and the Governor considered many alternatives for Vikings stadium funding last year,” said McCarthy. “We worked closely with the charities and other groups to arrive at a funding plan the tribes could live with. But we can’t live with electronic keno and other lottery games in every bar and restaurant in Minnesota.”

Although lottery officials claim to have authority to adopt the new games under existing law, McCarthy said there would undoubtedly be legal challenges if the games were introduced.

“The original lottery legislation was written narrowly to satisfy those who were uncomfortable with state-sponsored gambling,” McCarthy said. “The scratch-off games are consistent with current law; adding electronic monitors that could easily be converted to full-blown slot machines was never envisioned, and we have no doubt that it will be aggressively contested.”

McCarthy said he agrees with Governor Dayton that it’s premature to be talking about new stadium funding sources before fully tapping out e-pulltabs and the other back-up mechanisms authorized in the 2012 funding bill. 

“Every time somebody in Minnesota comes up a dollar short to pay for anything, they start talking about expanding gambling,” the MIGA director said. “We’re getting used to it, but that doesn’t mean we won’t fight back with every tool at our disposal.”

GAMBLING PROPOSALS ABOUND IN 2013 LEGISLATURE

As expected, there is no shortage of gambling expansion proposals awaiting consideration by the 2013 Minnesota Legislature. House File 522, authored by Rep. Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis, would authorize sports betting on professional and collegiate sports and athletic events in Minnesota. The bill has been referred to the Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy Committee. Rep. Kahn has introduced similar bills in the past without success. Rep. Kahn also has introduced HF 989, which would allow slot machines at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. Similar proposals have been defeated in previous years.

Of greater concern is HF 988, a bill to authorize racinos at Minnesota racetracks. Since Canterbury Park is not seeking a racino due to its marketing agreement with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the only racetrack eligible for slot machines under the bill is Running Aces Harness Track, located in Columbus Township on the northern edge of the Twin Cities metro area. The bill was introduced by Rep. Tom Hackbarth, who has authored previous racino bills. Previous racino discussions had been centered around Canterbury Park, the state's only thoroughbred racetrack, but in 2012 Canterbury officials abandoned efforts to secure a racino after signing a joint marketing agreement with Mystic Lake Casino to increase purses and pursue cooperative marketing efforts. So far, none of the gambling expansion proposals seem to be generating broad support, but MIGA is following them closely. Minnesota has enough gambling already, and MIGA tribes will continue to oppose further expansion.

MILLE LACS HOTEL PURCHASES REFLECT DIVERSIFICATION PUSH

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will announce the purchase of two major hotels in St. Paul at a press conference tomorrow (March 11) at 9:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul Riverfront Hotel. The hotels, the 470-room Crowne Plaza on Kellogg Boulevard, and the 250-room Doubletree Hilton in the heart of downtown St. Paul, represent nearly half of St. Paul's current lodging inventory.

The acquisitions are the first in a series of planned investments by the Mille Lacs Band Corporate Commission as part of the economic development vision articulated by Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin in her 2013 State of the Band address. 

Benjamin has emphasized the importance of diversifying into non-gaming projects that will help move the Band toward greater economic self-sufficiency and self-reliance.

Mille Lacs Commissioner of Corporate Affairs Joseph Nayquonabe, Jr. will anchor the press conference, discussing the business goals of the venture, planned improvements for the hotels, as well as what the Band's ownership will mean for the City of St. Paul. 

St. Paul Chamber President Matt Kramer told Kare-11 News on March 8 that the Band's acquisition of the hotels is "a fantastic thing for St. Paul." He cited the Band's twenty years of experience in the hospitality industry, and its commitment to refurbishing the properties to maximize their value as cornerstones of the core downtown.

Other dignitaries scheduled to attend the press conference include Chief Executive Benjamin, Ben Graves of Graves Hospitality, Inc., Deputy St. Paul Mayor Paul Williams; and Matt Kramer, President of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.

STAR-TRIBUNE NAMES CROOKS ONE OF MINNESOTA'S 'NORTHERN LIGHTS'

The December 29 Star-Tribune recognized the late Chairman Stanley R. Crooks of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community as one of a dozen "Northern Lights"--Minnesotans who passed away in 2012, leaving lasting legacies of singular importance. In short profiles of each, the Strib explained why the twelve were "ordinary but extraordinary." The profile on Chairman Crooks is reproduced here. It describes the late leader's humble early life as well as his contributions at the helm of one of the most influential and philanthropic tribes in the nation.

LATE CHAIRMAN CROOKS NAMED SHAKOPEE PATCH PERSON OF YEAR

The late Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Chairman Stanley R. Crooks was named Shakopee Patch's 2012 Person of the Year on December 27, 2012. Chairman Crooks passed away August 25, 2012, of natural causes. He served as Chairman of the SMSC for twenty years.

Chairman Crooks garnered 68 percent of the vote in the poll run by the national online news outlet Patch.com’s Shakopee site. He was one of three people nominated by readers of the website for their contributions to Shakopee.

Those who nominated Crooks described him as "an amazing leader, not just for his own Dakota community but for other tribes throughout Minnesota and the entire United States," and commended him for honoring the ancient Sioux tradition of generosity. Since 1996, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has donated nearly $260 million to tribes and charitable organizations in Minnesota and across the midwest, including the 2008 donation of $14.5 million to the University of Minnesota for construction of the Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza at TCF Stadium and creation of a scholarship fund for Native American students.

A staunch supporter of a diversified approach to economic development in Indian Country, Chairman Crooks was an inspiration to other tribal governments. He mentored leaders from other tribal nations and led the creation of a loan program which has been responsible for more than $523 million in loans to other tribes for economic and infrastructure development projects in recent years.

Under Crooks' leadership, the SMSC also became a driving force for employment and economic growth in Shakopee and the surrounding area. With a payroll of over $178 million in wages and benefits in its gaming and governmental operations, the tribe is the largest employer in Scott County.

VOTER ID AMENDMENT THREATENS NATIVE VOTE, LEADERS SAY

Passage of an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that would require state-issued voter ID cards in order to vote could prevent many American Indians from voting, according to officials of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA).

MIGA Executive Director John McCarthy said the proposed amendment, which will appear on the November 6 general election ballot, would create unnecessary obstacles to voting, especially for elders and those who lack transportation, use post office boxes as their primary mailing address, or may not be able to afford fees associated with the new IDs. If passed, the amendment would make it impossible for tribal members to use their tribal IDs to vote in future elections.

In 2006, Minnesota tribes took legal action against then-Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, whose office refused to recognize tribal identification cards as legal IDs for voting purposes. The tribes won the fight, and tribal IDs have been recognized as equivalent to state-issued IDs for voting purposes ever since. The proposed Voter ID amendment would change that.

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe will host an educational forum and rally against the Voter ID amendment on Thursday, September 20, at 10 a.m. at Northern Lights Casino in Walker, according to Leech Lake Chairwoman Cari Jones. The event is open to all.

"Many of our tribal members are unaware of how passage of this amendment could affect their voting rights," Jones said. "It would make it much more difficult for our people to participate in the democratic process. That is not acceptable to us."

"Passage of the Voter ID amendment would be a huge step backwards, not only for American Indians in Minnesota but for all those who continue to struggle against marginalization in our democracy," said McCarthy. "Our goal as a state and as a nation should be to maximize participation, not make it more difficult."

The non-partisan Minnesota League of Women Voters opposes the Voter ID amendment, according to the organization's website, because it is unnecessary, creates hurdles for eligible voters, and amounts to a costly, unfunded government mandate.

A coalition of religious leaders also has announced opposition to the Voter ID amendment, and has mounted a "Faith in Democracy" campaign to defeat it.