SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 19

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Clemente Sanchez

A JOINT RESOLUTION

APPROVING TRIBAL-STATE CLASS III GAMING COMPACTS BETWEEN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO AND THE NAVAJO NATION, THE JICARILLA APACHE NATION, THE MESCALERO APACHE TRIBE, THE PUEBLO OF ACOMA AND THE PUEBLO OF JEMEZ.

     WHEREAS, the Compact Negotiation Act authorizes the governor to negotiate the terms of compacts between the state and Indian nations, tribes and pueblos located in New Mexico for the conduct of class III gaming pursuant to the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act; and

     WHEREAS, in 2001, a negotiated compact for class III gaming was approved by the legislature and by the United States department of the interior and was subsequently entered into by the governor on behalf of the state and by the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Pueblo of Acoma; and

     WHEREAS, that 2001 compact expires on June 30, 2015; and

     WHEREAS, the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Pueblo of Acoma desire to continue their gaming operations in New Mexico and the Pueblo of Jemez desires to enter into a gaming compact with the state of New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the Compact Negotiation Act provides for legislative involvement in the negotiation process through the deliberations of the legislative committee on compacts and by requiring the approval, through a joint resolution, of a compact or amendments to a compact by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature before the compact or amendments may be executed by the governor; and

     WHEREAS, Governor Susana Martinez on February 17, 2015 submitted to the legislative committee on compacts a proposed compact negotiated between her office and the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the Pueblo of Acoma and the Pueblo of Jemez; and

     WHEREAS, the legislative committee on compacts reviewed and considered the proposal during the course of two meetings, and on February 28, 2015 voted to submit to the legislature a joint resolution approving the proposed compacts with a recommendation that the proposed compacts be approved; and

     WHEREAS, the office of the governor; representatives of the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the Pueblo of Acoma and the Pueblo of Jemez; and the legislative committee on compacts agreed at the committee's February 28, 2015 meeting to correct certain technical errors in the text and format of the proposed compact without formally reopening negotiations; and

     WHEREAS, those corrections have been made and are included in the compact attached hereto; and

     WHEREAS, the Compact Negotiation Act allows the legislature to approve more than one compact in a single resolution if the terms of the compacts are identical, except for the names of the tribes and the persons executing the compacts; and

     WHEREAS, the Compact Negotiation Act requires the governor to execute additional compacts identical to one negotiated and approved by the legislature under the act without submitting the additional, identical compacts for legislative approval; and

     WHEREAS, the legislative committee on compacts hereby submits to the legislature proposed class III gaming compacts negotiated between the governor and the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the Pueblo of Acoma and the Pueblo of Jemez with its recommendation that the proposed compacts be approved;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the proposed class III gaming compacts between the state and the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the Pueblo of Acoma and the Pueblo of Jemez attached hereto with the technical corrections to the text and format as noted in this joint resolution, and negotiated, agreed to and submitted to the legislative committee on compacts on February 17, 2015, be approved.

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