For Immediate Release
Contact: Shawn Pensoneau
(202) 632-7003
NIGC to Testify Before House Resource Committee Field Hearing in Oklahoma
Miami, Oklahoma February 20, 2008 — Philip Hogen, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission did not appear to testify as scheduled at a field hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee, focusing on proposed regulations of the Gaming Commission held this morning in Miami, Oklahoma. Norm DesRosiers, Vice Chairman of the Commission testified on behalf of Hogen and the Commission.
The Commission reported that Hogen, 63, who has chaired the Commission since 2002, remained at his home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, after experiencing a mild stroke on Sunday evening. He was treated at Rapid City Regional Hospital on Monday evening, and was released on Tuesday.
Hogen attributed the incident to high blood pressure, and explained he’d been skiing on Sunday, and splitting firewood at his home in the Black Hills prior to experiencing some difficulty with perception, when he sought medical advice. He anticipates a full recovery and plans to return to the Commission’s Washington, DC office next week, where he will resume his duties.
The NIGC is an independent regulatory agency established within the Department of the Interior pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
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