February 02, 2010 –
MAYETTA: Steve Ortiz, Tribal Council Chairman, is in Washington, D.C. this week to attend the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) 2010 Winter Legislative Summit. Later in the week, other Tribal Council members including Joyce Guerrero, Junior Wahweotten and Jim Potter will join Ortiz there to attend a meeting with Interim Chairman George Skibine on Friday.
Ortiz is scheduled to attend Regulatory and Administrative Briefings today and tomorrow with other tribal leaders that will allow for discussions with members of the Department of Interior and the White House. On Thursday he plans to meet with representatives from the offices of Congressional legislators U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS).
NIGA includes 184 member tribes and 103 associate members. It was founded in 1985 and operates as a clearinghouse and educational, legislative and public policy resource center regarding Indian gaming issues and tribal community development. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and Ernie Stevens, Jr. is chairman.
NIGA’s next major event will be its 20th annual trade show and membership meeting to be held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif. from April 6-9.