BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 2794|
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                                    CONSENT


          Bill No:  AB 2794
          Author:   Assembly Governmental Organization Committee
          Amended:  4/14/10 in Assembly
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE  :  8-0, 6/29/10
          AYES:  Wright, Harman, Calderon, Florez, Negrete McLeod,  
            Padilla, Price, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Denham, Oropeza, Wyland
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  76-0, 5/13/10 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Tribal gaming

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill repeals and renumbers sections of the  
          Government Code related to Indian gaming into one  
          stand-alone Title (Title 16.5 TRIBAL GAMING) in the  
          Government Code, and makes other technical, nonsubstantive  
          changes.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing federal law, the Indian Gaming  
          Regulatory Act of 1988, provides for the negotiation and  
          execution of compacts for the purpose of authorizing class  
          III gaming on Indian lands within a state. 

          Existing law, the California Constitution, authorizes the  
          Governor to negotiate and conclude compacts, subject to  
          ratification by the Legislature.
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          Existing law ratifies 68 compacts between the State of  
          California and specified Indian tribes.

          Existing law establishes the Indian Gaming Special  
          Distribution Fund (SDF) in the State Treasury for the  
          receipt of revenue contributions made by tribal governments  
          pursuant to the terms of the 1999 model Tribal-State Gaming  
          Compacts (Compacts).

          Existing law authorizes the Legislature to appropriate  
          money from the SDF for the following purposes:

          1. Grants for programs designed to address gambling  
             addiction.

          2. Grants for the support of state and local government  
             agencies impacted by tribal government gaming.

          3. Compensation for regulatory costs incurred by the  
             California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) and the  
             Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with the  
             implementation and administration of Compacts.

          4. Payment of shortfalls that may occur in the Indian  
             Gaming Revenue Sharing Trust Fund (RSTF).  This shall be  
             the priority use of moneys in the SDF.

          5. Disbursements for the purpose of implementing the terms  
             of tribal labor relations ordinances promulgated in  
             accordance with the terms of the 1999 Compacts.

          6. Any other purpose specified by law.

          Existing law provides that the priority for funding from  
          the SDF is in the following descending order:

          1. To make payments of any shortfalls that may occur in the  
             RSTF.

          2. Grants for programs designed to address gambling  
             addiction.

          3. Compensation to CGCC and DOJ for regulatory functions  

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             that directly relates to Indian gaming.

          4. Grants for the support of local government agencies  
             impacted by tribal gaming.

          Existing law establishes the RSTF in the State Treasury for  
          the receipt and deposit of moneys derived from gaming  
          device license fees paid by Indian tribes with 1999  
          Compacts.  Money in that fund is available to CGCC, upon  
          appropriation by the Legislature, for distribution to  
          non-Compact tribes, according to the terms of the Compacts.  
           

          Existing law requires CGCC to annually determine the  
          aggregate amount necessary to make up the difference  
          between $1.1 million and the actual amount paid to each  
          eligible recipient Indian tribe during the fiscal year from  
          RSTF.  CGCC must report the amount of the deficiency to the  
          Budget Committees in each house of the Legislature.  Upon  
          appropriation by the Legislature, CGCC shall make payments  
          to eligible recipient tribes, as specified.  
           
          Existing law establishes the methodology for the allocation  
          of SDF monies to local governments that have tribal  
          government gaming in its jurisdiction, and authorizes  
          eligible local governments to establish Benefit Committees  
          to award SDF monies to fund grant projects pursuant to  
          specified criteria.

          This bill was developed in consultation with the Office of  
          the Legislative Counsel to consolidate all of the laws  
          related to Indian gaming into one stand-alone Title in the  
          Government Code.

           Background  

          Currently, Indian gaming laws are found in two separate  
          chapters in the Government Code.  Title 2, Part 2, Chapter  
          1, Article 1 of the Government Code contains laws related  
          to (1) Tribal-State Gaming Compacts, (2) the Indian Gaming  
          RSTF, (3) the Indian Gaming SDF, and (4) the methodology  
          for the backfill of shortfalls in revenues in the RSTF from  
          the SDF.  Title 2, Part 2, Chapter 7.5 of the Government  
          Code contains the laws related to Grants of Indian Gaming  

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          Revenue to Local Government Agencies.  This bill is a code  
          maintenance proposal that will consolidate all Indian  
          gaming related laws into one stand-alone Title in the  
          Government Code, namely, Title 16.5 - Tribal Gaming.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No    
          Local:  No

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,  
            Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,  
            Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Charles  
            Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De  
            La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer,  
            Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines,  
            Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey,  
            Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries,  
            Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,  
            Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,  
            Nielsen, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,  
            Saldana, Silva, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland,  
            Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines,  
            Yamada, John A. Perez
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Caballero, Norby, Skinner, Vacancy


          TSM:mw  7/2/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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