A congressional bill that provides protection against the prospect of another Indian casino in Sonoma County could be on its way to a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, after its author expanded the prohibition on gaming.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said Friday that his bill creating a homeland for the Lytton Pomo tribe adjacent to Windsor would provide “bulletproof” protection against gaming, if it passes.

He said it not only mirrors Sonoma County’s agreement with the tribe not to build a casino anywhere in the county for 22 years, but includes an additional permanent prohibition against gaming north of Highway 12, or essentially from Santa Rosa to the Mendocino County line.

Huffman’s bill, supported by the tribe and county officials, won unanimous approval last week from the House Natural Resources Committee, the step before a possible vote by the full House of Representatives.

So far, it has had smooth early sailing in Washington. In a meeting with The Press Democrat Editorial Board on Friday, Huffman expressed optimism that his bill will get crucial backing from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, an opponent of urban casinos, if it makes it to the Senate.

Huffman’s bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and is also supported by Gov. Jerry Brown.

But the bill continues to meet resistance from a number of Windsor residents who see it as facilitating controversial Lytton Pomo plans to place up to 511 acres of land southwest of town into federal trust and build as many as 360 homes, a 200-room resort hotel and a 200,000-case winery.

Some opponents of Huffman’s legislation, HR 2538, claim the concern for a casino is “a red herring,” because the tribe has steadfastly said for more than a decade that it has no plans to build one on land it’s acquired in Sonoma County, made possible by proceeds from its lucrative San Pablo Casino in the East Bay.

Despite the tribe’s assurance that it has no intent for gaming in Windsor, Huffman said “when you get a SMART train running up and down Highway 101, and it becomes easy for folks to reach any casino on the highway, I continue to worry that even folks from farther south and the Bay Area might choose to go there.”

He said he takes the tribe at its word that it’s not pursuing another casino now, but “if things change in the future, why wouldn’t they build a casino, if there’s no limitation or protection? Tribes are always interested in economic development. Who could blame them if there was no prohibition?”

The county and Lytton Rancheria signed a memorandum last March that allows for the tribe to build housing for tribal members — once its land goes into federal trust — along with a hotel and winery. In talks with neighbors, the tribe has shown a willingness to reduce the size of the resort and winery.

The agreement with the county also calls for the tribe to pay the county $6.1 million for one-time impacts, such as to roads, parks and woodlands. In addition to not building a casino for 22 years — the length of the agreement — the county negotiated a number of other provisions, such as complying with the general plan throughout most of the property, authorizing a neutral arbitrator to resolve disputes regarding off-reservation environmental impacts, and a waiver of sovereign immunity to enforce the agreement.