Lumbee Fairness Act

Key Points

• This bill would grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, reversing a 1956 law that acknowledged them as Native Americans but blocked them from receiving the same federal benefits as other tribes. This would make them eligible for all programs available to federally recognized tribes.
• Tribal members would become eligible for all federal services and benefits provided to recognized Indian tribes, including healthcare through the Indian Health Service, education grants, and housing assistance. Members in four North Carolina counties would be treated as living on or near a reservation for service delivery purposes.
• The Secretary of the Interior would be authorized to take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe. Land in Robeson County would be treated as an 'on reservation' trust acquisition, streamlining the process for establishing tribal land holdings where the tribe is centered.
• The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Health and Human Services would be required to consult with the tribe and assess its needs, then submit a written statement of those needs to Congress — ensuring that adequate funding and services actually follow recognition.
• North Carolina would initially keep criminal and civil jurisdiction over tribal land, but the bill creates a pathway for the state and tribe to negotiate a transfer of some or all of that jurisdiction to the federal government, with a two-year waiting period after any agreement.