Brief⁽¹⁾

The bill would amend the Tribal Gaming Oversight Act by specifying which State Gaming Agency employees have law enforcement powers. Under current law, the Executive Director of the State Gaming Agency is authorized to designate which Agency employees have law enforcement authority. The bill would remove that discretion and statutorily designate the Director of Enforcement and Compliance and the Enforcement Agents as law enforcement officers.

The bill changes the current title of the Director of Compliance to Director of Enforcement and Compliance and the current titles of Compliance Inspectors to Enforcement Agents.

The bill would become effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.

Background

The bill was requested by the Executive Director of the State Gaming Agency. That agency implements the state's responsibilities under the tribal-state gaming compacts. According to the Director, who testified before the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs, the amendments to the Act are necessary so that the Agency will be recognized as a law enforcement agency by the FBI and other states' gaming and criminal justice agencies. The Executive Director explained that the positions that would have statutory law enforcement powers under the bill are the positions he has already designated as law enforcement officers with his discretionary authority under current law.

The Senate Committee amended the bill to make it effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.

The fiscal note prepared by the Division of the Budget states that the bill would have no fiscal impact.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext-bill.html.