Lumbee recognition bill gets hearing in Washington

Record Number: 
WOOL011
Citation: 

Woolverton, Paul. "Lumbee recognition bill gets hearing in Washington." Fayetteville Observer [Fayetteville, NC] September 26, 2017.

Annotation: 

Lumbee Trial Chairman Harvey Godwin and US Representative Robert Pittenger met with a Congressional subcommittee regarding the Lumbee Tribe's goal of full federal recognition. "This enduring quasi-legal status for the Lumbee Tribe has resulted in unequal protection for our tribal members,” Godwin said (para. 4). For example, the tribe could not receive imminent threat money last year when Hurricane Matthew hit Robeson County.

"Pittenger’s bill would: 

    • Extend federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and make its members eligible for the services and benefits provided to other federally recognized tribes. These benefits would be distributed in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke and Scotland counties. 
    • Allow the Department of the Interior to take land into trust for the tribe.
    • Prohibit the tribe from operating casinos or other gambling activities that other tribes, notably the Cherokees in North Carolina, are allowed to have. The bill won’t pass if the Lumbees are allowed to have gaming, Pittenger said in an interview." (para. 7).

Pittenger believes the tribe is close to gettting federal recognition.

 

First Appeared in 1994 Book?: 
no
Publication Type: 
These libraries have back years of this newspaper. Check the library catalog of the library of your choice to see if the year you need is available.