The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs recently held a hearing to consider E. Sequoyah Simermeyer as chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, which oversees the $32 billion tribal gaming industry. Committee Chairman Senator John Hoeven said, “The NIGC needs to be appropriately staffed, including having a confirmed chairman, so that it may fulfill its duties and responsibilities as outlined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. I appreciated hearing from Mr. Simermeyer about his vision for leading the NIGC and look forward to having this panel favorably report Mr. Simermeyer’s nomination to the full Senate.”
A member of the Coharie Indian Tribe of North Carolina, Simermeyer currently serves as associate commissioner at the National Indian Gaming Commission and is its director of self-regulation. He previously advised the U. S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs’ Republican leadership, served as deputy chief of staff to the Department of the Interior’s assistant secretary for Indian Affairs and advocated on national and international policy issues with the National Congress of American Indians.
Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said, “Sequoyah Simermeyer has a wealth of experience on tribal issues working in different executive and legislative branch capacities. He is the ideal candidate for this position, and I urge Congress to confirm him quickly.”
If confirmed by the full U.S. Senate, Simermeyer would be the first new chairman of the NIGC in more than four years. In addition, he would be the first Republican leader of the federal agency since Philip N. Hogen, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who served through most of George W. Bush’s administration. He would replace Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, who served as NIGC chair for a record four years and was acting chair for nearly two years.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, Simermeyer earned a law degree from Cornell Law School, and a master’s degree from Vermont Law School.
The NIGC has jurisdiction over 512 licensed gaming establishments operated by 246 Indian tribes in 29 states. In fiscal year 2017, tribal gaming revenues were approximately $32.4 billion in gross gaming revenue. The NIGC employs 114 full-time worker in seven regional offices. Its annual budget is $25 million in the current fiscal year, funded through fees paid by tribal gaming operations.
