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Cover Stories Spring 2002 Closed Arizona
Dog Tracks Poised to Re-Open if Racing Industry's Prop 201 Passes Arizona Indian casinos have been in operation since the early 1990s. In November 2000 the dog and horse tracks filed suit in federal court challenging Gov. Jane Dee Hull's authority to sign new compacts with the tribes. In July 2001 the court ruled in favor of the tracks, declaring Indian gaming illegal and holding that the governor does not have the authority to sign new compacts; an appeal is pending. Hull's Indian gaming bill - Senate Bill 1001 - if passed by the Senate and House, would have legalized Indian gaming and authorized Hull to sign the new compacts into law. SB 1001 was defeated in the House May 22. "This bill wasn't defeated, it was mugged by track lobbyists who want casino gaming to spread off reservation," Hull said. At least 20 high-paid lobbyists representing dog and horse racing interests powered their way through the Legislature during the seven-week special session on gaming. "We just ran out of time," said David LaSarte, executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association. The association, which represents 17 tribes operating more than 20 casinos statewide, spent two years negotiating with Hull on the renewal of compacts that begin to expire in 2003. On July 4 the racetrack alliance now called the Coalition for Arizona submitted nearly 188,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office; the Indian gaming association submitted 240,000 signatures. The secretary of state's office is now verifying a random selection of signatures. The Indian association's initiative would limit casino-style gaming to reservations. The racetracks' initiative, called the Fair Gaming Act, would allow dog and horse tracks to add slot machines at up to 10 sites statewide. Two of those sites are long-closed dog tracks in Yuma, near the Mexican border, and Black Canyon City, 40 miles north of Phoenix. If voters approve the racetracks' initiative, live greyhound racing would resume at those tracks. In a June 30 interview with
The Yuma Sun, Greyhound Protection League founder Susan Netboy said, "What's
in the future for most of these dogs is a bullet and a pit." Netboy
cited a June 1990 case in which 35 greyhounds died of starvation at a
kennel near Yuma. Arizona Action Alert: The Arizona Greyhound Protection Alliance, a political committee, was formed June 11, 2002 to oppose the Fair Gaming Act, Prop 201 on the ballot. Arizona law requires formation of such a committee by any group seeking to support or oppose a ballot measure. The chair is Stephanie Nichols-Young, a Phoenix attorney and the president of the Animal Defense League of Arizona. The committee's treasurer is Janene Mensch, who is also the League's treasurer. If you would like to contact
the committee to volunteer or make a donation, please write to: Arizona
Greyhound Protection Alliance, 2765 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 104, Scottsdale,
Arizona 85257.
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