A bill that would extend off-reservation tribal gaming oversight to the state Legislature may be resurrected once again from Gov. Jim Doyle's veto pile.
Republican lawmakers said Tuesday they plan to reintroduce a bill that Doyle struck down last year allowing the governor to consider off-reservation gaming, but only if the Legislature first concurred by joint resolution.
"Democracy demands that our constituents have a voice on tribal gaming," said state Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, one of six Republican assemblymen who announced the bill. "The general public should be able to weigh in on these issues."
Under current law, gaming on land not owned by a tribe prior to the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act must be approved by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and then the respective state governor.
The proposed bill — which has been vetoed by Doyle, a Democrat, as well as former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson — aims to add the Legislature to the process before the gubernatorial decision.
When Doyle vetoed the bill in May 2006, he called it unnecessary and said, "If the federal government were to ever approve an off-reservation casino and a decision came before me — which is by no means certain — I would, of course, take the views of the community into account."
Doyle also vetoed a bill of similar language in 2003, quoting Thompson, "I am vetoing these provisions because of the extensive delays that could be expected in entering into compact agreements with the tribes if legislative approval is required."
Carla Vigue, a spokesperson for Doyle, said the governor's position on the legislation remains unchanged and added he would veto the bill if it came back across his desk.
Suder said the Assembly would likely pass the bill, and maybe the Senate with encouragement. However, he was uncertain whether the Legislature could override Doyle's impending veto.
Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, said he doesn't think the bill will go very far. And if it did pass, he said the result would be "outrageous" and "chaotic."
"I don't think it's a good idea," Risser said. "We don't want the tribal people lobbying 132 legislators."
Risser opposed the legislation because he said he disagrees with gambling in the first place.
The bill — however unlikely to pass — will be drafted and seeking co-sponsorship in the coming weeks, Suder said.
"This will be a long process, but that's a good thing, so people can tell us how they feel," Suder added.
Doyle approves bar bill
Wisconsin revelers may legally drink until 3:30 a.m. in taverns this Sunday after Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill Tuesday that aims to comply with the new federal daylight-saving time.
Congress changed daylight-saving time's new start and stop dates in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The corrective clock now starts three weeks earlier on the second Sunday of March and ends the first Sunday of November.
There was some confusion between state law enforcement officials and bar owners as to when bars were allowed to remain open during the time transition. The bill signed by Doyle extends bar time by one hour, so bars can remain open for the normal length of time.
Vigue said the bill was signed as a matter of procedure.
Doyle also signed a bill Tuesday that allows the Village of Edgar to create a tax incremental financing district based on the village's 2005 property values.
