Bill to block AZ tribe’s casino fails US House vote

PHOENIX (AP) – A bill that would block a casino project nearing completion in the western Phoenix suburbs has failed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The legislation sponsored by Republican Rep. Trent Franks and four other Arizona members of Congress was defeated after failing to garner a required 2/3 vote Monday. The bill could be revived later.

H.R. 308 would have barred gambling at the Tohono O’Odham tribe’s nearly completed $200 million casino near Glendale.

The bill passed the House on a voice vote last year but never made it out of the Senate.

Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake have introduced a companion bill in the Senate that has yet to get a vote.