SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico lawmakers are getting an early start on their work for the upcoming session of the Legislature. A legislative panel is scheduled next Monday to review a proposed gambling compact that would allow the Navajo Nation to operate five casinos. The Legislature convenes a week later on Jan. 21 for a 30-day session.
The gambling compact ran into criticism last year from other tribes, and the full Legislature didn't vote on whether to approve it. The Legislative Committee on Compacts can't change the proposed agreement but could ask the governor's office and the state's largest Indian tribe to renegotiate some provisions.
The Navajos operate two Las Vegas-style casinos under a compact expiring in 2015. The new compact would permit the state to collect more revenue from casino proceeds.
