S 2564119th CongressIn Committee

Tribal Gaming Regulatory Compliance Act

Introduced: Jul 31, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-New Mexico)

Economy & Taxes

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

S. 2564, introduced in the Senate by Senators Heinrich (and joined by Smith and Lujan), would amend the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Restoration Act (Public Law 100-89) to ensure gaming activities on these tribes’ lands are fully regulated under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). The bill would add a new Rule of Construction making IGRA fully applicable to gaming on the lands of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, and it would strike sections 107 and 207 of the Restoration Act. The overall aim is to remove regulatory overlap and bring these two tribes into the same IGRA framework that governs other federally recognized tribes’ gaming operations, aligning federal oversight with the rest of IGRA-regulated gaming. The bill’s findings acknowledge the 1987 Cabazon decision and the subsequent IGRA framework, the 2022 Supreme Court ruling affecting these two Texas tribes, and the goal of eliminating redundant regulatory language so that Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta gaming is regulated uniformly with other tribes.

Key Points

1Inserts a new Section 3 (Rule of Construction) into the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Restoration Act, clarifying that IGRA (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) fully applies to gaming on the tribes’ lands.
2Explicitly states that IGRA should govern gaming activities on the lands of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, aligning them with other IGRA-regulated tribes.
3Strikes Section 107 of Public Law 100-89.
4Strikes Section 207 of Public Law 100-89.
5Seeks to remove overlapping or redundant regulatory language and harmonize the regulatory framework so these two tribes are regulated under IGRA in the same manner as other federally recognized Tribes.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and the Alabama-C Coushatta Tribe of Texas, whose gaming activities would be regulated under IGRA without the conflicting provisions from Public Law 100-89.Secondary group/area affected- Federal regulatory machinery for tribal gaming, including the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and the Department of the Interior, which oversee IGRA-regulated gaming, as well as potential interactions with Texas state gaming authorities.Additional impacts- Regulatory certainty and consistency: Removes redundant language and clarifies that IGRA governs gaming on these tribes’ lands, potentially simplifying compliance for tribes, regulators, and operators.- State-tribal relations: Could alter how Texas state law interacts with tribal gaming by reinforcing federal IGRA regulation rather than a patchwork of state provisions.- Broader implications: The findings underscore a statutory emphasis on uniform IGRA coverage; while the bill targets two tribes, it signals congressional intent to harmonize IGRA regulation across federally recognized tribes that are eligible for gaming, which could influence future legislative actions or regulatory interpretations.

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