Madisonville County has joined the ranks of those supporting efforts by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas to keep its Naskila gaming facility in Livingston from being closed by the State of Texas.
The County Commission voted last week to support the tribe, which has fought with the state government since it opened its Class II casino in 2016. That was the second time the tribe opened a casino. The first time was in the early part of the century, when the tribe offered Class III games. The state shut the casino.
The commission’s resolution praises the Naskila facility for creating 560 jobs in East Texas and contributing almost $140 million in revenue to the state as well as 46 full scholarships to members of the tribe’s high school senior class.
The commission’s support will be added to others who are lobbying the House of Representatives to pass H.R. 759 that would clarify the law so the tribe could legally operate its casino. Normally tribes do not require a compact or permission from a state to operate Class II gaming. However, the law as it relates to Texas is somewhat ambiguous, which has allowed the state to successfully challenge the tribe in court.
In March the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the tribe, citing the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act of 1987, which forbids most gambling, even on reservation land.
Since that ruling Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking for a $10,000 fine for every day the tribe has operated the casino since May 2016.
The tribe is lobbying other county commissions to take similar votes, asking Texas U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and other Texas representatives to support the bill, which was authored by Rep. Brian Babin, whose district includes the reservation.
The votes have no force of law but do indicate support. County Judge Tony Leago told commissioners last week: “They’ve got a list of counties who have supported this. It’s giving them an ‘atta-boy,’ is about what it amounts to.”
