State and national congressional members continue to speak out in opposition of a bill that would allow South Carolina’s Catawba Indian Nation to build a casino along I-85 in North Carolina. Senate Bill 790 is sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Richard Burr and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Today, U.S. Representative Mark Walker (R-N.C.) joined North Carolina state elected officials urging the U.S. Senate’s opposition to the bill. “Despite strong bipartisan opposition from our state and local governments, this federal overreach would give preferential treatment to a tribe recognized by South Carolina to reap benefits at the expense of North Carolinians and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. I urge my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to oppose this legislation and ensure that North Carolinians don’t have their voices stripped away," said Congressman Walker, who serves North Carolina’s 6th District. Just last week, 38 members of the North Carolina Senate, including N.C. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, signed a letter to the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee. In 2013, North Carolina’s General Assembly opposed the same attempt for an off-reservation casino when the Catawba tribe attempted to obtain the same plot of land for a casino. (Click here to read the letter) The legislation would be an unprecedented move, designating land for a tribe to build a casino outside of the Bureau of Indian Affairs process for the first time in U.S. history. The bill would circumvent regulatory processes – such as the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act requiring the Department of Interior to consult with tribal, local and state governments for economic, environmental and infrastructure impact assessments.
