Digital Scholarship and Initiatives

The Lumbee Tribal Council tabled a decision on whether to allow people who were convicted of a felony to serve on the tribal council five years after their civil rights have been restored. Some council members feared that allowing convicted felons to serve might harm the tribe's chances of becoming 8A certified for grants. When public hearings were held and surveys taken two years ago on this issue, 85% of respondents opposed the idea of allowing convicted felons to serve.In other business, the tribal council adopted a 2002-2003 budget of $9.9 million, set August 27 as the date for swearing in the Lumbee Supreme Court, and passed a resolution supporting a grant being sought by the Eastern Regional North Carolina American Indian Rural Health Outreach Project.