A bill to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 with respect to future membership in the Catawba Indian Nation.

Key Points

• This bill changes a 1993 law to give the Catawba Indian Nation more power to decide who can be a member of their tribe. It removes specific federal requirements that have limited tribal enrollment for over 30 years.
• Currently, federal law says a person can only join the tribe if they are a direct descendant of someone on a specific 1993 list. It also requires them to prove they have kept up 'political relations' with the tribe.
• The bill, introduced by South Carolina's senators, would strike those strict federal rules from the law. This allows the tribe to set its own standards for future members based on their own traditions and needs.
• This change is a matter of tribal sovereignty, which is the right of Native American groups to govern themselves. By removing these federal limits, the tribe gains the same freedom many other tribes have to define their own community.
• The policy specifically affects the Catawba Indian Nation in South Carolina. It would make it easier for the tribe to grow and include people who may have been left out by the old, narrow federal definitions.

Impact Analysis

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