Political Quotes

“I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, this is about fairness, and when you have been in this office as long as I have been--I was here when we passed the 1984, the 1985, and the 1986 gaming laws--we tried and expected to do the right thing for all Tribes. I say I have been involved with this. When I was chairman, we tried to do the same thing. It is the right thing to do. It is the fair thing to do. The most important thing is it is a simple matter of fairness. I will say it again. These two Tribes have been denied the same opportunity of every other federally recognized Tribe, including the Kickapoo Tribe, to engage in Class II gaming on their reservation. Class II is bingo. This legislation opens no new door to gaming in Texas. The Kickapoo Tribe has been offering bingo on their reservation for the better part of two decades with no interference from the State of Texas. Second, it should be noted that virtually all communities surrounding the Alabama-Coushatta reservation have passed a resolution endorsing this legislation. In fact, over 30 resolutions in favor of H.R. 759 show that support for the bill runs from the Gulf of Mexico to the Red River border on Oklahoma. This represents genuine grassroots support for the people who will be most impacted. Far from thwarting the will of the people of Texas, this legislation enables it. Mr.…”