HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 15

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

INTRODUCED BY

James Roger Madalena

A JOINT RESOLUTION

APPROVING A TRIBAL-STATE CLASS III GAMING COMPACT BETWEEN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO AND THE NAVAJO NATION.

     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 entered into in 2003 by the governor on behalf of the state and by the Navajo Nation; 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 January 17, 2014 submitted to the legislative committee on compacts a proposed compact between the state and the Navajo Nation; and

     WHEREAS, the legislative committee on compacts reviewed and considered the proposed compact negotiated by the governor and the Navajo Nation and, based upon those deliberations and pursuant to the Compact Negotiation Act, requested the governor to renegotiate with the Navajo Nation the provision of the proposed compact that allows the Navajo Nation to operate no more than five class III gaming facilities to instead allow no more than three class III gaming facilities; and

     WHEREAS, the governor reported to the legislative committee on compacts on February 1, 2014 that the Navajo Nation would not agree to the requested change regarding the number of class III gaming facilities but did agree to two technical and grammatical changes; and

     WHEREAS, on February 5, 2014, the legislative committee on compacts passed a motion to submit to the legislature a joint resolution with a recommendation that the proposed compact be approved; and

     WHEREAS, the legislative committee on compacts hereby submits to the legislature the proposed class III gaming compact negotiated between the governor and the Navajo Nation with its recommendation that the proposed compact be approved;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the proposed class III gaming compact between the state and the Navajo Nation, attached hereto, submitted to the legislative committee on compacts on January 17, 2014 and as amended on February 1, 2014, and as negotiated and agreed to by the governor and the Navajo Nation, be approved.

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