HOULTON, Maine (AP) The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians are supporting a bill in the state’s Legislature that would allow them to negotiate with the federal government to open a casino in Aroostook County.

The Bangor Daily News reports the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs will hold a public hearing on the bill on March 17. Maliseet Chief Clarissa Sabattis said on Thursday that a 1980 state law means that federal laws that allow tribes in other states to operate casinos does not apply to the tribes in Maine.

Previous efforts to authorize a casino in Houlton, including a 2017 state Senate bill and a 2015 referendum, have not succeeded.