- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Gaming
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has recommended to confirm Patrice Kunesh as the next commissioner of the National Indian Gaming Commission.
The Standing Rock Sioux descendant’s nomination cleared the committee with a 7-4 vote on Nov. 22, with support from all six Democratic members and vice-chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Republican senators Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma,) Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota,) John Hoeven (R-North Dakota,) and Steve Daines (R-Montana) voted against.
If confirmed, Kunesh would oversee regulation of the $42 billion tribal gaming industry. She currently serves as the commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans, a federal agency that promotes self-sufficiency for Native Americans with grant funding for community-based projects, as well as training and technical assistance for tribes and Native-serving organizations.
During her September confirmation hearing, Kunesh outlined plans to help the Indian gaming industry maintain record revenues and address new cybersecurity challenges. She also committed to studying the emerging mobile and online gaming markets and their long term impacts on brick and mortar casino properties.
Committee Chair Brian Schatz (D-HI) said he believed in Kunesh’s ability to meet those goals, pointing to her track record in a range of previous federal positions.
“She is a dedicated public servant who works hard on behalf of Indian tribes and Native communities, and I'm confident that she will do that in this new role when confirmed,” Schatz said in a statement. “I strongly support [her] swift confirmation.”
Murkowski cited Kunesh's commitment to addressing human trafficking at tribal gaming facilities as key to securing her support. The Alaska senator said an array of social issues — including poverty, homelessness, and historical trauma — made Native women especially susceptible to being trafficked, and that traffickers and drug dealers have made tribal casinos “magnets” for illegal activity.
“Ms. Kunesh committed that, if confirmed, she would review NIGC initiatives on trafficking and report back to the committee on the successes, challenges and the needs facing anti trafficking initiatives,” Murkowski said. “I will be supporting her nomination as she moves out of committee, as I believe she is a qualified nominee for the position of chair.”
President Biden nominated Kunesh in July to replace former NIGC commissioner E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, who departed in February. Her nomination now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story used a headline that referred to Kunesh as the first Native woman to lead NIGC. Tracie Stevens, a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, served as NIGC chairwoman from 2010-2013. Two other Native women — Ada Deer and Sharon M. Avery — also served as acting chair. TBN regrets the error.
