Tribal gaming: compact and amendment ratification.

Senator Grove's legislation ratifies amendments to California's gaming compact with the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians, extending terms established in 1999 while adding new provisions for environmental review exemptions. The bill ratifies both the third and fourth amendments executed in late 2024 and early 2025, as well as a new tribal-state gaming compact signed in December 2024.

The legislation establishes specific exemptions from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review requirements for actions directly related to the gaming compact. These exemptions apply to the execution of compact amendments, intergovernmental agreements between the tribe and local or state agencies, and on-reservation impacts from compact compliance. However, the bill maintains CEQA obligations for cities, counties, the Department of Transportation, and other government entities for projects outside the scope of the compact.

Designated as an urgency statute, the bill takes immediate effect upon enactment to facilitate tribal economic development and self-sufficiency. The legislation aligns with federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act requirements while preserving the state's broader environmental review framework for non-tribal gaming matters.