Senate hearing set

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2002 | 11:20 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday to examine the federal process for recognizing Indian tribes -- many of which want to establish casinos.

Among the witnesses scheduled are Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, North Stonington, Conn., First Selectman Nick Mullane and representatives of tribes and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, which handles federal recognition.

Connecticut towns and lawmakers have complained that the current recognition process is inconsistent, and that interested parties often don't have the funding to effectively participate.

Most recently, the BIA's decision to recognize two Connecticut tribes, the Eastern Pequots and the Paucatuck Eastern Pequots, as one tribe has come under scrutiny, with members of Connecticut's congressional delegation requesting an investigation by Congress' General Accounting Office.

The tribes share a 225-acre reservation in North Stonington and now have the right to negotiate with the state about building a casino. It would be the state's third casino.

Legislation to change the recognition process has been introduced by Sens. Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman, both D-Conn., and by Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Conn. Simmons' bill is backed by Reps. James Maloney, D-Conn., Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., and Christopher Shays, R-Conn.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sept. 17, in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.