Hoeven Holds Nomination Hearing for Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission

Statement

Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, today convened a hearing on President Donald J. Trump's nomination of Mr. E. Sequoyah Simermeyer to serve as Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).

"The NIGC needs to be appropriately staffed, including having a confirmed Chairman, so that it may fulfill its duties and responsibilities as outlined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act," said Hoeven. "On June 26, 2019, President Trump announced E. Sequoyah Simermeyer as his nominee for Chairman of the NIGC. Mr. Simermeyer is a member of the Coharie Indian Tribe of North Carolina and currently serves as Associate Commissioner at the National Indian Gaming Commission. I appreciated hearing from Mr. Simermeyer about his vision for leading the NIGC, and look forward to having this panel favorably report Mr. Simermeyer's nomination to the full Senate."

The NIGC has jurisdiction over 512 licensed gaming establishments operated by 246 Indian Tribes in 29 States. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, tribal gaming revenues were approximately $32.4 billion in gross gaming revenue. The NIGC currently has approximately 114 full-time employees in seven regional offices with an annual budget of $25 million in FY 2019. The NIGC budget is funded through fees paid by tribal gaming operations and can be up to 0.080% of gross gaming revenue pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The Committee has jurisdiction to consider the nomination of the NIGC Chair.

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