I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 474 
To amend the Lumbee Act of 1956. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 16, 2025 
Mr. ROUZER (for himself, Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina, Mr. HUDSON, Mrs. 
FOUSHEE, Mr. MURPHY, Ms. ROSS, Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina, Mr. 
MCDOWELL, and Mr. MOORE of North Carolina) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Lumbee Act of 1956. 
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 Fairness Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FEDERAL RECOGNITION. 
The Act of June 7, 1956 (70 Stat. 254, chapter 375), 
is amended— 
(1) by striking section 2; 
(2) in the first sentence of the first section, by 
striking ‘‘That the Indians’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF LUMBEE INDIANS. 
‘‘The Indians—’’; 
(3) in the preamble— 
(A) by inserting before the first undesig-
nated clause the following: 
‘‘SEC. 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)); 
(6) by inserting before section 3 (as designated 
by paragraph (2)) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this Act: 
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‘‘(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. 
‘‘SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL SERVICES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Tribe and its members shall 
be eligible for all services and benefits provided by the 
Federal Government to federally recognized Indian tribes. 
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‘‘(b) SERVICE AREA.—For the purpose of the delivery 
of Federal services and benefits described in subsection 
(a), those members of the Tribe residing in Robeson, Cum-
berland, Hoke, and Scotland counties in North Carolina 
shall be deemed to be residing on or near an Indian res-
ervation. 
‘‘(c) DETERMINATION OF NEEDS.—On verification 
by the Secretary of a tribal roll under subsection (d), the 
Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices shall— 
‘‘(1) develop, in consultation with the Tribe, a 
determination of needs to provide the services for 
which members of the Tribe are eligible; and 
‘‘(2) after the tribal roll is verified, each submit 
to Congress a written statement of those needs. 
‘‘(d) TRIBAL ROLL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purpose of the delivery 
of Federal services and benefits described in sub-
section (a), the tribal roll in effect on the date of en-
actment of this section shall, subject to verification 
by the Secretary, define the service population of the 
Tribe. 
‘‘(2) VERIFICATION
LIMITATION
AND
DEAD-
LINE.—The verification by the Secretary under 
paragraph (1) shall— 
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‘‘(A) be limited to confirming documentary 
proof of compliance with the membership cri-
teria set out in the constitution of the Tribe 
adopted on November 16, 2001; and 
‘‘(B) be completed not later than 2 years 
after the submission of a digitized roll with sup-
porting documentary proof by the Tribe to the 
Secretary. 
‘‘SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION TO TAKE LAND INTO TRUST. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law, the Secretary is hereby authorized to take 
land into trust for the benefit 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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