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Casino tribes
buy into political process
Native Americans, including the
Warm Springs and Cowlitz in the Northwest,
build influence with campaign contributions Tribes buy into political process Monday, May 09, 2005 JEFF KOSSEFF The Oregonian WASHINGTON -- Ten years ago, Native American tribes were still the minor political players they'd been for centuries, with their campaign donations barely registering on the national radar. But tribes, enriched by casino profits, are among the nation's fastest-growing contributors, pumping more than $7 million into federal campaigns in last year's elections. That's more than mining, textile and environmental groups. They've also bolstered their lobbying teams. Like other groups, they're trying to build influence to protect their gains -- including the right to operate gambling centers -- and to expand into untapped territory. In the Northwest, the newest national players are the Warm Springs in Oregon and the Cowlitz in Washington, both seeking federal approval for new casinos within 50 miles of the lucrative Portland market. The booming tribal casino industry has beefed up its representation at a time when the casino approval process has become increasingly political, a congressional leader faces ethics questions about his tribal casino lobbying, and Congress considers sweeping changes in tribal casino law. "Tribes have become much more aware of ways to participate in the political process," said Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash. "Tribes are American citizens with every bit as much right as anybody else to participate in the process. It's no more right or wrong than if a major corporation or labor union or interest group of any other sort participates." Campaign finance law gives tribes unique status among political contributors. Unlike companies, tribes can donate directly to candidates. Tribes with casinos contributed more than $7.1 million to federal candidates in the 2004 elections, up from $4.4 million in 2000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group based in Washington, D.C., that tracks campaign finance. That's a fraction of the donations from industries such as insurance, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals, but the growth has been steep. The Oregon tribes also take care of political business in their backyards, giving to legislative and state campaigns. The Grand Ronde, whose Spirit Mountain casino brings in the most revenue in the state, led the way in donations over the past two years, economic studies show. "It's just like any other industry that has had enormous growth and is subject to very intense government regulation," said Nelson Rose, a professor at Whittier Law School in California who specializes in gambling law. Tribes, Rose said, have been most effective at preventing Congress from amending the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allows gambling on reservations and sets the casino approval process. The tribes' financial success has spawned some enemies in Washington, D.C., said Wayne Shammel, general counsel for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians. "Now that there's some money coming into Indian country," he said, "the pressures against us are actually mounting." Oregon's top donor: Cow Creek The Cow Creek, who run a casino in Canyonville on Interstate 5, are Oregon's largest tribal donor to federal campaigns. They donated $210,600 in 2004, ranking ninth nationally among tribal donors with casinos, Center for Responsive Politics figures show. The tribe's chairwoman, Sue Shaffer, has long been a national voice on tribal issues. "Our structure is built around trying to find people and develop productive relationships," Shammel said. "You'll find plenty of candidates that we have assisted that take either positions contrary to tribes or even this one from time to time. . . . It's not so much about, 'We've given money, therefore they have to give me access.' " In Oregon and Southwest Washington, tribal clout from all quarters could have a big impact. The federal government is considering whether to allow the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to take 152 acres in La Center, Wash., into trust for a casino. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are awaiting federal approval of their agreement with Gov. Ted Kulongoski to put a gambling center in Cascade Locks in the Columbia Gorge, which would be Oregon's first off-reservation casino. Neither tribe has been a big political player. The Cowlitz gained federal recognition as a sovereign tribe -- necessary to negotiate a casino compact -- in 2000, and they have not contributed to federal candidates. "The tribe has never had the ability to donate money as a tribe," said David Barnett, a Cowlitz tribal member and consultant on the casino project. "Everybody understands our situation, and almost everyone back in Washington, D.C., is sympathetic to what we're trying to do and will be helpful." The Warm Springs, whose existing casino in Kah-Nee-Ta is well off the beaten path, last year donated about $20,500 to federal campaigns, all to Northwest candidates and accounts. "I don't think they would go across the country and go after a contribution to someone who has a national representation on these issues," Warm Springs spokesman Len Bergstein said of tribal leaders. "We're probably pretty close-at-home kind of contributors." Letting others do the talking The Cowlitz and Warm Springs tribes are taking a behind-the-scenes approach to gain approval of their casino plans, relying on lobbyists in Washington, D.C., and the Northwest. "The tribe doesn't really have the ability to do the high-powered lobbying that tribes with existing casinos and reservations can do," Barnett said of the Cowlitz. Last year it signed lobbyist Joseph Findaro, a former deputy assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior, which has jurisdiction over tribal affairs. Interior Secretary Gale Norton this month will decide whether to approve the casino compact the Warm Springs signed with Kulongoski. She also will begin a longer review of whether the tribe can build the casino on nonreservation land. The process has become political, with U.S. Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., sending Norton a letter urging her to reject the casino, and with others, including U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., defending it. The Warm Springs have a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., but mainly use a law firm in Bend that has served the tribes for 50 years. They also will rely on supporters, including surrounding communities and labor groups, Bergstein said. But the Warm Springs, he said, will stay out of the broader national debate over whether the government should allow off-reservation casinos, particularly amid the negative publicity about tribal casino lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. "We want to clearly differentiate the unique nature of Warm Springs and all of this other debate and kind of craziness going on about gaming and off-reservation issues," Bergstein said. The issue has begun to gain the attention of Congress. Committees have held hearings this year about off-reservation casino proposals. U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., the House Resources Committee chairman, has released a draft bill that would overhaul the process of approving such casinos. It's no wonder, said Rose, the law professor, that the tribes are muscling up on Capitol Hill. "This is what you do in the United States: You buy political power and political influence through campaign donations," Rose said. "And it's legal." Jeff Kosseff: 503-294-7605; jeff.kosseff@newhouse.com The Oregonian Portland, Oregon |
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