VICE CHAIRMAN S REPORT
Status of the Oregon
Gaming Alliance
On July 7, 2(X)3, the Bums Tribe
hosted another meeting of the Oregon
Gaming Alliance steering committee.
This group is strategizing and
developing bylaws to take to the full
committee as soon as we complete
them. It’s not easy crafting bylaws
that we feel each tribe will be able
to support.
Once completed, we feel this group
will be a policy group vs. each tribe
going alone. Each tribe is unique,
however, and will still have its own
areas of concern that will be different
from the other tribes, but we feel
that developing this alliance will
help provide greater communication
for everyone.
We discussed articles in the paper
regarding Multnomah Kennel Club
installing 20 “paramutual”-type
machines at its racing site. We were
wondering how the sate was allowing
that when we were told that anything
more than five machines would
constitute a “casino,” which the state
of Oregon did not allow. Is this a double
standard? We’ll look further into this
to see if it’s true or not.
We also discussed the Cowlitz
Tribe just across the river in Vancouver,
Wash., which has filed for a gambling
license. What impact will this have on
the state of Oregon and Oregon tribes?
They’re rumored to have been approved
for 3,000 machines. How many Oregon
residents will cross the river to gamble
in Washington? These are just some of
the questions we discussed.
Considerable time was spent going
through the bylaws. Everyone should
give their comments to Craig Dorsay
by Aug. 7, 2003.
We also received word that the
magistrate has approved the request
from the Coos Tribe to put a casino in
Florence, Ore. From what we hear,
the governor doesn’t plan to contest
this decision.
The committee’s next meeting will
be Oct. 3, hosted by the Klamath Tribe.
These changes take effect Aug. 1,
2003, and are both positive and
necessary to maintain a high level of
service, quality, and cost-effectiveness
for the tribe and our plan members.
Plan members can take an active
role in the upcoming year to help defray
plan costs by wisely choosing health
care providers, becoming more
involved in their health care decisions,
and adopting healthy lifestyles by using
preventive care services. This will help
ensure that the Siletz Tribe can continue
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Oy Siletz News
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of the National Indian Gaming
Commission (NIGC) that have been
both favorably and unfavorably reacted
to by the National Indian Gaming
Association (NIGA).
NIGC has proposed that Congress
reaffirm its authority over Class III
National Gaming Issues
gaming. NIGA Chairman Ernie
As a member of the National Indian
Gaming Association board, I would like
to touch on a number of recent actions
Stevens, however, argued - as the Siletz
Group Insurance Plan Changes for
Tribal and Casino Employees
The rising cost of health care across
our nation continues to spiral out of
control and no company or business is
exempt from this crisis. In an effort to
continue to offer the most compre
hensive, competitive, and affordable
group health care coverage to our plan
members and families, the Group
Benefits Committee proposed, and the
Tribal Council approved, much-needed
modifications and enhancements to our
self-funded plan, COHO Benefits of the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
Jessie Davis
to provide a valuable health care
product for all tribal and Chinook
Winds employees.
Information on these changes
has been communicated to each
plan member. Please don’t hesitate to
contact the following individuals
should you have questions or require
additional information:
•
Samaritan Health Services
541-563-2074-Jo Reilly
•
COHO Benefits Plan Administrator
541 -996-5809 - Mary Lou Anderson
•
COHO Benefits Plan Staff
541-996-5806 - Bobbie Salazar-
Grider
541-996-5882 - Amy Rouske
541-994-1761 - Sharon Nelson
We look forward to providing an out
standing and affordable group benefits
plan in the upcoming year and thank
each of you for doing your part to make
COHO Benefits of CTSI a successful
and cost-effective benefit plan for all.
August 2003
Tribe also had argued relative to a
dispute with NIGC a few years ago, that
Artwork
Needed for
ICWA
Conference
If you or anyone you know is
interested in creating artwork for
the upcoming Indian Child Welfare
Association (ICWA) conference in
October 2003, please contact
Wendi Schamp at 1-800-922-1399,
ext. 236, or 541-444-8236.
The conference theme will
focus on “Weaving our Cultures
and Communities Together for a
Stronger Future.” The conference
will include outside agencies
such as the Department of
Human Services throughout the
state of Oregon.
The artwork may appear on
items such as posters, pamphlets,
or agendas for the conference. The
chosen artist will receive a $100
Fred Meyer gift certificate.
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
(IGRA) created the regulatory system
for class III gaming through the tribal/
state compacting process.
Stevens expressed the view that
the responsibility of the NIGC is to
review and approve tribal gaming
ordinances as long as they meet
minimum statutory requirements. “The
reason for (NIGC’s) narrow review of
tribal gaming ordinances,” he said, “was
to require the commission to defer to
the tribal-state compacting process.
Accordingly, the NIGC should not seek
additional authority ...”
NIGC has recommended that it be
granted statutory authority to license
vendors, consultants, etc. Stevens
contended that Indian tribes already
conduct such licensing. He recom
mended that any vendor licensing
initiative be conducted on a voluntary
basis to assist tribes where requested,
and “not be used to put in place a
new barrier to economic activity in
Indian country.”
Stevens pointed out that the NIGC
“has proved too slow in reviewing
management contracts and adding
new responsibility of vendors,
consultants ... may prove too burden
some for both the commission and tribal
gaming operations.”
Several tribes across the U.S. have
not been able to implement their tribal
state compacting process specifically
where states can, and have, raised an
11th Amendment defense to enforce
good faith negotiations. Stevens
recommended that IGRA be amended
to address this critical issue.
Introducing federal legislation has
been suggested as a means of
addressing this issue. Chairman Ben
Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., of the
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
cautioned that this is a particularly
controversial issue because the issue of
“states rights” is involved.
Although the Siletz Tribe has had
some rocky negotiation sessions with
Oregon officials over the past
seven years, we’ve generally been
successful in maintaining constructive
govemment-to-government relation
ships in the compacting process.