HR 3723119th CongressIn Committee

Tribal Gaming Regulatory Compliance Act

Introduced: Jun 4, 2025

Economy & Taxes

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Tribal Gaming Regulatory Compliance Act aims to bring full consistency to how gambling on Tribal lands is regulated by aligning two Texas tribes—Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas—with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). The bill would amend the Texas restoration act (Public Law 100-89) to insert a rule of construction that IGRA fully applies to gaming on these tribes’ lands and would remove conflicting or redundant sections (Sections 107 and 207) of that act. In short, it intends to eliminate overlapping, Texas-specific regulatory language and ensure that these two tribes are regulated under IGRA like other federally recognized tribes with eligible gaming, rather than under separate or state-adjacent provisions. By doing so, the bill seeks to standardize regulatory oversight (likely through the IGRA framework and tribal gaming commissions with potential involvement of federal oversight bodies) and promote uniform federal regulation across all tribes eligible for gaming.

Key Points

1Purpose and scope: Establishes the Tribal Gaming Regulatory Compliance Act to ensure all federally recognized tribes eligible for gaming are regulated under IGRA, by addressing gaps in the existing Texas restoration act for two specific tribes.
2Rule of construction: Inserts a new provision stating that the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and the Alabama-C Coushatta Tribe’s gaming activities are subject to the full applicability of IGRA.
3Amendments to Public Law 100-89: Replaces or removes existing sections (specifically striking sections 107 and 207) to eliminate conflicting or redundant regulatory language and align the law with IGRA.
4Regulatory alignment: Moves the two Texas tribes under the standard IGRA regulatory framework (which typically involves tribal gaming commissions and federal oversight through the National Indian Gaming Commission), rather than a separate or Texas-centric regime.
5Legislative context: The bill acknowledges prior Supreme Court decisions and existing IGRA structure, noting that only these two tribes had overlapping or divergent regulatory language and that the bill would harmonize their gaming regulation with the rest of IGRA-regulated tribes.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (Texas) and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas: Their gaming activities would be governed by IGRA in full, removing special or conflicting regulatory language from the Texas restoration act.Secondary group/area affected:- Federal regulatory bodies and tribal gaming authorities (e.g., IGRA framework, National Indian Gaming Commission, tribal gaming commissions): Likely to assume or strengthen oversight consistent with IGRA for the two tribes.Additional impacts:- States with regulatory oversight or involvement in gaming: The bill could shift some regulatory authority away from state provisions toward IGRA, potentially altering existing state-tribal regulatory dynamics in Texas.- Economic and sovereignty considerations for the two tribes: Could enhance regulatory predictability and access to IGRA-based gaming development, financing, and governance, while reinforcing the federal-tribal regulatory relationship.Status and sponsorship: Introduced in the House on June 4, 2025, sponsored by Mr. Luttrell, with co-sponsorship by Ms. Escobar and Mr. Babin; referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.Technical terms:- IGRA (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act): U.S. federal law that provides the regulatory framework for Indian gaming, including Class II and Class III gaming, with oversight typically shared between federal authorities and tribal/regulatory bodies.- Rule of Construction: A legal clause specifying how to interpret a statute or provision; here, it would ensure IGRA’s full applicability to the two tribes’ gaming activities.- Public Law 100-89 (Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Restoration Act): The existing law that currently governs these tribes’ gaming under a framework distinct from IGRA; the bill proposes removing conflicting sections to align with IGRA.

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