Seneca Nation Statement on Compact Negotiations as New York State Legislative Session Ends
Discussions on new agreement continue
ALLEGANY TERRITORY, SALAMANCA, N.Y. – As the New York State Legislature prepares to adjourn this year’s legislative session, Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong issued the following statement regarding ongoing negotiations on the Nation’s gaming Compact with New York State:
“The State Legislature is preparing to close the legislative session and leave Albany, again, without a new Compact agreement between the Seneca Nation and New York State. We are essentially two years into Compact discussions with the State, and now six months into our extension agreement with Governor Hochul. The extension is set to renew at the end of June as our negotiations with Governor Hochul and her representatives continue. The pace and progress of the process so far, while detailed and deliberate, have been painstaking, frustrating, and disappointing at times. Regardless, we will continue to focus on and work toward a fair new Compact that adequately addresses our rights and concerns in the context of today’s growing and changing gaming market. That has been our priority from day one.
The Seneca Nation has been clear in our negotiations for two years that a fair new Compact is critical for the Seneca Nation and for Western New York. Thousands of people, workers, and businesses, as well as local communities in Western New York, depend on our gaming enterprises. Now that the distractions of another budget season and another Legislative session have come and gone, we hope the State will fully commit to accelerating the pace of negotiations until we have reached a fair agreement on all Compact terms.”