HELENA — The leader of the Crow Tribe told lawmakers that the state’s economic resurgence is not reaching Montana’s Indians.

Carl Venne, also chairman of the Tribal Leaders Council, said unemployment on reservations remains around 50 percent even as the unemployment rate for the state is below 3 percent.

He said the tribes need to be freed to pursue more gambling and casino opportunities, and stand willing to develop natural resources, like coal, to help build their economies.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who has not been supportive of big-time gaming, said he needs to see the specifics behind Venne’s gambling proposal.

“The devil is in the details. There are all kinds of ways of accomplishing it,” Schweitzer said.

Venne, speaking to a joint session of the state House and Senate on Wednesday, said Indians are a powerful voting block that needs to be respected. He said they helped elect Democrat Jon Tester to the U.S. Senate.

“We proved to be a major factor in the shift of balance of power,” Venne said. “Montana Indians can no longer be taken for granted, because we do get out and vote.”

He asked lawmakers to keep the tribes in mind as they debate what to do with the state’s projected surplus of roughly $1 billion.

“You as leaders represent all of the people of this state,” Venne said. “Be careful with our money — but help everyone with our money.”

Venne said his tribe sits on vast coal resources that could be used to help lower energy bills in Montana. He blamed PPL Montana and NorthWestern for running monopolies over electricity supplies.

“It’s time that we start working together,” he said. “It’s time that big companies should no longer monopolize things in this great state of ours.”

Venne also commended the Montana meth project started by billionaire Tom Siebel for addressing an issue that is a big problem on reservations.

“But it is time for this state to take the responsibility we all have together to fight this meth problem we have today.”

It is the second address Venne has given to the Legislature. In 2003 he also pushed for development of tribal coal resources.