This bill grants full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, making members eligible for federal services provided to recognized tribes. Members in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland Counties are within the service delivery area. Interior and HHS must assess service needs. Interior may take land into trust. North Carolina retains criminal and civil jurisdiction unless transferred by agreement.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill grants full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, making members eligible for federal services provided to recognized tribes. Members in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland Counties are within the service delivery area. Interior and HHS must assess service needs. Interior may take land into trust. North Carolina retains criminal and civil jurisdiction unless transferred by agreement.
Last updated: 1/4/2026
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><b>Lumbee Fairness Act</b></p> <p>This bill extends federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and makes its members eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of federally recognized tribes. </p> <p>Members of the tribe residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland Counties in North Carolina are deemed to be within the delivery area for such services.</p> <p>The Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services must develop, in consultation with the tribe, a determination of needs to provide the services for which members of the tribe are eligible.</p> <p>Interior may take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe.</p> <p>Finally, North Carolina must exercise jurisdiction over all criminal offenses committed, and all civil actions that arise, on North Carolina lands owned by, or held in trust for, the Lumbee Tribe or any dependent Indian community of the tribe unless jurisdiction is transferred to the United States pursuant to an agreement between the tribe and the state.</p>
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Grants full federal recognition to Lumbee Tribe
Members eligible for federal tribal services
Covers four North Carolina counties
Interior may take land into trust
North Carolina retains jurisdiction unless transferred
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
The Lumbee Tribe, with approximately 55,000 members, is the largest tribe east of the Mississippi lacking full federal recognition. Partial recognition since 1956 excluded them from most federal services and benefits. Full recognition would provide healthcare, education, and other federal programs while enabling land-into-trust and potential economic development. The bill resolves a decades-long quest for equal tribal status.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Native Americans
Related Subjects
Federal-Indian relations
Indian lands and resources rights
North Carolina
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
474, 119th Congress (2025). "Lumbee Fairness Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-474
