Washington, D.C. — Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) have reintroduced the Lumbee Fairness Act, which would grant federal benefits to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. These are the same benefits that every other federally-recognized tribe receives.
The House version of the bill is led by Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC) and Mark Harris (R-NC) and sponsored by Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Addison McDowell (R-NC), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Greg Murphy (R-NC), Don Davis (D-NC), and Tim Moore (R-NC).
Sen. Budd said in a statement:
“More than 60,000 members of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina have waited decades for federal recognition. They deserve the same rights and privileges granted to other Native American tribes across our country. This is a basic matter of fairness. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Tillis to finally get this bill passed and signed into law.”
Sen. Tillis said:
“I am dedicated to ensuring that Congress fulfills its six-decade-old promise to grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee people. We are now closer than ever to finally fulfilling that promise. There is clearly strong bipartisan support for this effort in Congress, and both President Biden and President-elect Trump firmly back recognition. This bill has passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support over the past three Congresses. I will continue to pursue all options to finally achieve full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe.”
Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery said:
“I am pleased to learn that the Lumbee Fairness Act has been reintroduced in both the United States Senate and House. I want to thank Senators Tillis and Budd and Representatives Rouzer and Harris for being the main sponsors of our bills in their respective houses and for leading the way as they work towards our full federal recognition.”
Background:
The Lumbee Tribe is the largest American-Indian tribe in the Eastern United States. In 1885, North Carolina formally recognized the Lumbee Tribe. Three years later, the Tribe began to seek federal recognition. In 1956, Congress finally passed legislation recognizing the tribe, but the bill included an unfair caveat that denied the Lumbee benefits that every other federally-recognized tribe receives.
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