I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2352 
To provide for the recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 4, 2017 
Mr. PITTENGER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for the recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North 
Carolina, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lumbee Recognition 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
The Act of June 7, 1956 (70 Stat. 254, chapter 375), 
is amended— 
(1) by striking section 2; 
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(2) in the first sentence of the first section, by 
striking ‘‘That the Indians’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF LUMBEE INDIANS. 
‘‘The Indians’’; 
(3) in the preamble— 
(A) by inserting before the first undesig-
nated clause the following: 
‘‘SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
‘‘Congress finds that—’’; 
(B) 
by 
designating 
the 
undesignated 
clauses as paragraphs (1) through (4), respec-
tively, and indenting appropriately; 
(C) by striking ‘‘Whereas’’ each place it 
appears; 
(D) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon 
at the end of each of paragraphs (1) and (2) 
(as so designated); and 
(E) in paragraph (4) (as so designated), by 
striking ‘‘: Now, therefore,’’ and inserting a pe-
riod; 
(4) by moving the enacting clause so as to ap-
pear before section 1 (as so designated); 
(5) by striking the last sentence of section 3 (as 
designated by paragraph (2)); 
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(6) by inserting before section 3 (as designated 
by paragraph (2)) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this Act: 
‘‘(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
‘‘(2) TRIBE.—The term ‘Tribe’ means the 
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina or the Lumbee In-
dians of North Carolina.’’; and 
(7) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 4. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Federal recognition is extended 
to the Tribe (as designated as petitioner number 65 by 
the Office of Federal Acknowledgment). 
‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY OF LAWS.—All laws and regula-
tions of the United States of general application to Indi-
ans and Indian tribes shall apply to the Tribe and its 
members. 
‘‘(c) PETITION FOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT.—Notwith-
standing section 3, any group of Indians in Robeson and 
adjoining counties, North Carolina, whose members are 
not enrolled in the Tribe (as determined under section 
5(d)) may petition under part 83 of title 25 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations for acknowledgment of tribal exist-
ence. 
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‘‘(2) VERIFICATION
LIMITATION
AND
DEAD-
LINE.—The verification by the Secretary under 
paragraph (1) shall— 
‘‘(A) be limited to confirming compliance 
with the membership criteria set out in the con-
stitution of the Tribe adopted on November 16, 
2001; and 
‘‘(B) be completed not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this section. 
‘‘SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION TO TAKE LAND INTO TRUST. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may take into 
trust for the benefit of the Tribe land of the Tribe. 
‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF CERTAIN LAND.—An applica-
tion to take into trust land located within Robeson Coun-
ty, North Carolina, under this section shall be treated by 
the Secretary as an ‘on reservation’ trust acquisition 
under part 151 of title 25, Code of Federal Regulations 
(or a successor regulation). 
‘‘SEC. 7. JURISDICTION OF STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to land located 
within the State of North Carolina that is owned by, or 
held in trust by the United States for the benefit of, the 
Tribe, or any dependent Indian community of the Tribe, 
the State of North Carolina shall exercise jurisdiction 
over— 
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‘‘(1) all criminal offenses that are committed; 
and 
‘‘(2) all civil actions that arise. 
‘‘(b) TRANSFER OF JURISDICTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
the Secretary may accept on behalf of the United 
States, after consulting with the Attorney General of 
the United States, any transfer by the State of 
North Carolina to the United States of any portion 
of the jurisdiction of the State of North Carolina de-
scribed in subsection (a) pursuant to an agreement 
between the Tribe and the State of North Carolina. 
‘‘(2) RESTRICTION.—A transfer of jurisdiction 
described in paragraph (1) may not take effect until 
2 years after the effective date of the agreement de-
scribed in that paragraph. 
‘‘(c) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section affects the ap-
plication of section 109 of the Indian Child Welfare Act 
of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1919).’’. 
Æ 
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