Ensign, Gibbons kill pro-Indian gambling amendment

Friday, May 22, 1998 | 3:44 a.m.

Ensign said he and Gibbons got House Resources Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, to drop a proposal that "would have allowed Indian gaming operations to flourish basically unchecked throughout the country."

The amendment, that had been attached to the federal highway funding bill, would have expanded an agreement with an Alaska-based corporation to let it open and run casinos beyond Alaska's borders.

Ensign also thanked Sen. Dick Bryan, D-Nev., for working with him to stop the proposal. He said Bryan was notified by the Interior Department that the measure could be introduced, and "kept me posted every step of the way."

"Our effort on this issue is a good example of what a united delegation can accomplish when working together," Ensign said.

"Indian gaming is operating without regard to the law in some places already, so it's crucial to Nevada's interests to stop any spread of it," he added.

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