WASHINGTON, D.C. – Committed to achieving federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe, U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) last week sent a letter to Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-7) to express her support for the Lumbee Recognition Act (H.R. 31).
“Recognition of the Lumbee Tribe is long overdue,” said Hagan. “For far too long, thousands of Lumbees have been denied access to federal services and it is time they are afforded the same rights and protections otherwise available to a federally designated tribe. Representative McIntyre’s efforts on this issue are commendable, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure the proper recognition for the Lumbees.”
Legislative language within the 1956 Lumbee Act prevents the Lumbees from the administrative application process by which prospective tribes can apply for federal acknowledgement through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The exclusion limits access to services for more than 40,000 members of the Lumbee Tribe.
The Lumbee Recognition Act was introduced by Representative McIntyre and has more than 180 co-sponsors in the House. At a recent hearing on the bill, George Skibine, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development for Indian Affairs, testified that “there are rare circumstances when Congress should intervene and recognize a tribal group, and the case of the Lumbee Indians is one such rare case.”
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