Casino news source: Green Bay Press Gazette - http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/
Jackpot! No, but casino benefits tribal members
Per-capita payments working for them, Oneidas say
By Patti Zarling
pzarling@greenbaypressgazette.com
ONEIDA — In the years Phyllis Davids and her husband, Donald, have been receiving annual per-capita payments from the Oneida Tribe of Indians, they have put new siding on their home, purchased a washer and dryer and replaced a water heater.
The Davids, both elders in the Oneida Tribe of Indians, support the idea of per-capita payments, in which some profits from the tribe's successful gaming operations are distributed among its 16,000 enrolled members. And while there's been some controversy lately among other tribes over who should be enrolled in the tribe and receive sometimes very lucrative payments, local Oneida tribe members say the system works well.
Members of the Oneida Tribe receive $800 in the fall, at least through the year 2013, and elders receive slightly more. Stipends for children younger than 18 are put in a trust fund until they come of age, said tribal spokeswoman Bobbi Webster.
"I think it's great that they do this," Phyllis Davids said. "Nowadays that money ain't much, but we appreciate it. It's really nice to have."
The tribe first provided the payments in 1994, when many tribes began to reap the rewards of successful casino and bingo operations.
Webster said that each year the Oneidas' trust committee considers the tribe's annual spending needs and the impact the payments would have on its overall budget.
"Our first priority is to sustain the overall tribal operations," she said. "We have to have the ability to sustain our current obligations."
The per-capita payments are based on a certain percentage of profits. Webster declined to disclose the actual amount of profits or percentage that is distributed to tribal members.
The state of Wisconsin does not track per-capita payments, but tribal members are required to pay federal income taxes on the stipends.
Gary Garrison, public affairs officer for the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, said Native American tribes are required to use gaming profits for things such as education, health care, the elderly, police services, if they have them, and general expenditures.
"Anything left over, the membership can vote on how they want to use it," he said. "We might advise them on how they should best use it, but it isn't regulated at all."
That means the amount of per-capita payments can vary widely from tribe to tribe, he said. Some tribes offer monthly payments, while others send out checks annually. Some tribes prefer to supply things like vehicles or homes rather than give out direct payments.
Garrison said payments often are the result of not just how successful tribes are, but also how many members they have and if they have successful casinos. He belongs to the Choctaw Nation, for example, which has 85,000 members.
"Although we have a successful casino," he said. "So I think I got a calendar and nice tribal ornament."
Webster, too, said payments are based on numbers of enrolled members. With more than 16,000 members, the tribe feels the amount paid is sufficient, she said. The tribe also helps members by providing a health clinic, schools, housing allowances, police and education reimbursements, she said.
"The huge bulk of our payments go to our services and to our 3,000 employees," Webster said.
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 authorizes the use of casino revenues for per-capita programs. Some payments can be high. For instance, members of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians receive $30,000 per month from the tribe's casino, according to Indianz.com.
Likewise, the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in California paid roughly $15,000 a month to members. The tribe has 1,370 members. Some members who have been disenrolled from the tribe argue they were released in order to concentrate payments among remaining members.
This isn't a problem with the Oneida tribe, Webster said.
The problem may be more challenging in areas like California, where tribes can be very small and offer huge payments, Garrison said.
"My feeling is that more than the money, you have the fact people who shouldn't be members were added to the list in times past," he said. "They were added when tribes didn't have much so it didn't mean anything."
Ernie Stevens Jr., an Oneida who serves as chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, said tribes have the right to determine tribal membership qualifications. People who disagree with membership rules do have an appeals process they can go through, he said.
"There are some people who are making it an issue, perhaps loudly making it an issue, but it is not a widespread issue," Stevens said.
As for per-cap payments, he said as long as tribes meet five qualifications set by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under revenue allocation plans, tribes are free to give out stipends as they see fit.
"Most tribes don't have them," Stevens said.
But they are welcome, some Oneidas agree.
"It's nothing that's going to change your life," Webster said. "But it's a nice little benefit." |
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