Warner worries bill will allow casinos

RICHMOND (AP) -- Sen. John W. Warner, a strong supporter of legislation to grant sovereign status to Virginia Indian tribes, is expressing new concerns about the law potentially paving the way for Indian-operated casino gambling in the state.

Mr. Warner, chairman of the Armed Services Committee and a co-sponsor of the so-called federal recognition bill, has asked the Virginia congressional delegation to take a closer look at the legislation.

Six Indian tribes have sought recognition through legislation sponsored in the House by Rep. James P. Moran, a Democrat, and in the Senate by Sen. George Allen, a Republican. The tribes say the legislation will give them access to federal funds.

Mr. Moran introduced recognition legislation in 2000. The Senate version is in the chamber's Committee on Indian Affairs. The House version has been referred to its chamber's Committee on Resources.

Mr. Warner recently said he didn't want legislation that could "thwart the ability of a state, whether it's Virginia or any other state, to prohibit gambling."

He also said, in light of federal court decisions, "It's tough [to determine] whether or not the state can prohibit gambling, once sovereignty is granted to these tribes."

Supporters of the legislation didn't take Mr. Warner's concerns as a setback.

Wayne Adkins, a member of the Chickahominy Tribe and president of Virginia Indians Tribal Alliance for Life, an advocacy group pushing for federal recognition, said Mr. Warner's statement is a step in the right direction.

"He wants to see us have recognition," he said. "It looks like he's trying to remove the stumbling blocks."

Mr. Moran thinks Mr. Warner is simply being thorough and politically practical about the legislation.

Mr. Allen was equally optimistic, spokesman David Snepp said.

"He wants these questions to be settled by the Virginia delegation," Mr. Snepp said. "That's the only way this bill will be in the strongest position going forward."

The tribes are asking for the same status given to more than 560 other tribal governments.

The tribes mentioned in Mr. Allen's bill are the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Monacan Indian Nation, the Nansemond, the Rappahannock and the Upper Mattaponi.

The Senate's Committee on Indian Affairs is expected to meet again this month.