"We are going to work this out," Battin said.

The governor cut $50 million passed by the Legislature to $30 million, saying he couldn't approve the increase because counties hadn't filed required reports on how they're using the money to offset the impact of casinos.

But Battin said he and Garcia have collected reports from 20 of the 21 counties that received the money and will give copies to the governor's office.

The lawmakers also gave the governor's staff a letter signed by a bipartisan group of 57 lawmakers - and more are expected to sign on, the Coachella lawmakers said - asking for the money to be restored.

"The governor's staff acknowledged there was a problem in determining if the reports got in or not," Garcia said.

H.D. Palmer, a finance spokesman for the governor, emphasized that the governor supports the aid, funded by tribes, to local communities as long as its use is properly documented.

"If we were able to get more information, certainly we would be willing to take another look at it," Palmer said. "It is not a program we oppose, by a long shot."