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Federal Government Questions State's Agreement With Tribal Casino22 August 2000CHARENTON, LOUISIANNA—Aug. 22, 2000 – As reported by The Associated Press: "The federal government has raised doubts about a new agreement between the state of Louisiana and the Chitimacha Tribe over the operation of the Cypress Bayou Casino at Charenton. "At issue is a provision - in effect since the original seven-year compact was approved in 1993 - under which the tribe gives 6 percent of its gambling revenue to local governments in St. Mary Parish to offset government costs of providing services to the casino. …In a letter to tribal chairman Alton LeBlanc Jr. dated Aug. 11, the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) said it was questioning the 6 percent clause, saying that such payments must be justified by an accounting of the actual costs of local government. "Without the accounting, the BIA said it would reject the payment as a tax that is forbidden by federal law governing reservation casinos. BIA representative Paul Hart told The Banner-Tribune of Franklin on Tuesday that the agency had received no response to the justification request. "…A decision on the fate of the compact is expected Thursday. If the government rejects the agreement, negotiations are still open between the state and tribe…" |