U.S. House Passes Lumbee Recognition Act

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U.S. House Approves Lumbee Recognition Act

Special Report - June 7, 2007
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to grant the Lumbee Indian Tribe full federal recognition, and the bill includes a provision prohibiting the Tribe from conducting gambling activities should the act ultimately become law. H.R. 65—Lumbee Recognition Act passed the U.S. House by a vote of 256 to 128 on Thursday, June 7.

The 55,000-plus member Tribe—located primarily in and around Robeson County, North Carolina—stands to gain access to an estimated $460 million dollars over the next five years in federal funds for healthcare, education, housing and other services. An amendment adopted by the House Natural Resources Committee on April 24, expressly prohibits the Tribe from conducting gambling operations, which is a right that typically comes with federal recognition. The amendment reads as follows, “The tribe may not conduct gaming activities as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations thereunder promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming Commission.”

The North Carolina Family Policy Council submitted a letter to the entire North Carolina Congressional delegation prior to consideration of the bill by the House Natural Resources Committee asking that H.R. 65 be amended to prohibit the Lumbee Tribe from conducting gambling operations, should it move forward. The letter, a portion of which was read in testimony before the committee by Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), was entered into the committee record.

In preparation of H.R. 65 coming before the full House for consideration on Thursday, Congressmen Heath Schuler (D-NC), Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Jones sent a letter to fellow House members urging them to oppose the bill. Their letter cited the Lumbee’s questionable heritage, reminding their colleagues that, “the Lumbee group has sought federal recognition as four different, unrelated Indian tribes over the years (“Croatan,” Siouan,” “Cherokee,” and now “Cheraw”).” In its place, Representative McHenry has proposed House Resolution 2022 that would allow the Lumbee tribe to seek federal recognition through the Department of the Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgment, thus preserving “the integrity of the tribal recognition process.”

H.R. 65 now proceeds to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Both North Carolina Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr have pledged their support of full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe.

To download a copy of the NCFPC’s letter to Congressman McIntyre about H.R. 65, click here.

To read more about the impact that expanded Indian gambling will have on the state, download our paper "Lumbee Casino Gambling: Would Another Casino Be Good for North Carolina?"