Senator Dole Introduces Lumbee Recognition Act

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Senator Dole Introduces Lumbee Recognition Act

Special Report - January 19, 2007
Two weeks after a House bill was introduced, Senator Elizabeth Dole (R–NC) has also filed a bill in the U.S. Senate that would grant the Lumbee Indian Tribe of North Carolina full federal recognition and possibly lead to the creation of a major casino in the state’s southeast region. This is the third time Senator Dole has submitted such legislation. Senate Bill 333 – Lumbee Recognition Act, introduced on January 18 and co-sponsored by Senator Richard Burr (R–NC), would provide the Lumbee Indians with an estimated $470 million in federal funds over four years for education, health care, housing, and other development projects. The bill would also allow the Lumbees to seek a Tribal-State Compact with North Carolina authorizing the establishment of one or more gambling casinos along the I-95 corridor in Robeson County. Because this stretch of interstate is a major thoroughfare between New Jersey and Florida, a casino in Robeson County could rival the size of any in the world. Currently, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in western North Carolina operates the state’s only casino, which draws close to 3.3 million visitors per year and an estimated $180 million in profits (in 2004).

Congressman Mike McIntyre (D–NC) introduced similar legislation, H.R. 65, in the U.S. House on January 4.

To read more about the impact expanded Indian gambling will have on the state, download our paper Lumbee Casino Gambling: Would Another Casino Be Good for North Carolina?