WASHINGTON -The Department of the Interior's Office of Indian Gaming Management (OIGM) will hold a series of tribal consultation meetings on the development of proposed regulations to establish standards for implementing Section 20 of IGRA, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (25 USC 2701-2721). The meetings will take place in Uncasville, Conn., Albuquerque, N.M., Sacramento, Calif., and Minneapolis, Minn., starting on March 30, 2006.

Section 20 provides that federally recognized Indian tribes cannot conduct class II or class III gaming on lands acquired in trust after October 17, 1988, unless one of several exceptions applies. The proposed rule will establish the criteria that will be considered by the Department to determine whether a parcel of land acquired in trust after that date qualifies under any of the exceptions listed in 25 USC 2719.

The Department will conduct tribal consultation sessions to receive input on the proposed draft regulations on the following dates (all times are local time):

Thursday, March 30: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, Conn.

Wednesday, April 5: 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Albuquerque Convention Center, San Miguel Rm. 330 Tijeras N.W., Albuquerque, N.M.

Tuesday, April 18: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Radisson Hotel Sacramento, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento, Calif.

Thursday, April 20: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Crown Plaza, 2200 Freeway Blvd., Minneapolis, Minn.

Comments on the proposed draft regulations also may be mailed or hand-delivered to the Office of Indian Gaming Management at 1849 C Street, N.W., MS-3657-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240 by April 20, 2006.

The Office of Indian Gaming Management oversees the Secretary's responsibilities under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (P.L. 100-497). The OIGM develops policy guidelines on land acquisition requests for gaming, tribal/state compacts, per capita distribution plans, Secretarial approval of trust asset and gaming-related contracts, and Secretarial procedures for class III gaming. The OIGM also reviews and approves fee-to-trust applications and leases, coordinates with other federal agencies on gaming taxation, provides compliance to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), conducts training and technical assistance for tribes and federal personnel and reviews financing/accounting issues related to agreements.