04/29/1995 02:30 PM Senate JUD

              SB 172 ELIMINATE MONTE CARLO NIGHTS                             
                                                                              
  CHAIRMAN ROBIN TAYLOR  called the Judiciary Committee meeting to             
 order at 2:35 p.m.  The first order of business was SB 172.                   
                                                                             
 [The following is a verbatim transcript.]                                     
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR:  Next one up is SB 172, "An Act eliminating monte             
 carlo nights,"  at the request of whom, Senator Miller?                       
                                                                               
 SENATOR MILLER:  This was put in by the request - I'm not sure, but           
 it was one that we had been working with the Administration on ...            
 this particular area regarding some problems that we could be                 
 having with the Indian Gaming Act... we had been working with the             
 Administration on.                                                            
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR:  Is there anybody here who wishes to testify on SB
?  The basic purpose of this bill is to eliminate, from state              
 law, the right of any person to conduct a monte carlo night for               
 charitable gaming purposes, or any other purpose for that matter.             
 Is there anybody who wishes to testify on this legislation?                   
 Senator Miller, in your opinion, does this, in fact, eliminate                
 monte carlo night, to the best you can tell?                                  
                                                                               
 SENATOR MILLER:  To the best I can tell, it does.                             
                                                                               
 [End of verbatim transcript.]                                                 
                                                                               
 SENATOR MILLER specified Section 3 prohibits the activity.                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR stated it is his understanding that under current              
 gambling legislation passed by Congress, Indian tribes are                    
 authorized to conduct gambling operations on their lands, if such             
 gambling forms are authorized by state law.  Conversely, if state             
 law prohibits such gaming, that activity cannot be conducted on               
 Indian land.  Even though money is not exchanged in monte carlo               
 night activities, those types of activities must be prohibited if             
 similar activities are to be prohibited on Indian trust lands.                
 According to the Attorney General, to prevent the expansion of                
 gambling activities into the casino form, the state must terminate            
 the right of any charity to hold monte carlo nights.                          
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR commented the Senate majority has worked closely               
 with the Administration on this legislation.  The Administration is           
 negotiating in good faith with the Klawock Native Council regarding           
 the development of a casino-type gambling operation on a parcel of            
 land in Klawock.  Several other groups within the state are                   
 petitioning the Secretary of Interior for that privilege.  SB 172             
 would eliminate the opportunity to develop a casino-type                      
 establishment, however bingo, lotteries and pull tabs would still             
 be permitted.  That is the reason the legislation is on a fast                
 track through the Senate.                                                     
                                                                               
 Number 156                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR GREEN moved SB 172 out of committee with individual                   
 recommendations.  There being no objection, the motion carried.