Lumbee Fairness Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1101, the so- called Lumbee Fairness Act.

I am proud to represent North Carolina's 11th District, which is the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a Tribal Nation rich in culture, language, and sovereignty that is a true treasure to the State of North Carolina and to the United States.

In stark contrast, it must be noted that the Lumbee community has no standing treaties with the Federal Government, no reservation land, and no common language. The Office of Federal Acknowledgment under the U.S. Department of the Interior, or OFA, was established to provide a vigorous process that groups seeking Federal recognition must go through, including genealogical and historical research.

This legislation wholly bypasses the OFA process, and I believe that if the Lumbee community truly had a legitimate claim for Federal recognition, they would go through that process like other prospective Tribes have done.

Let us not circumvent our rules to bring this bill to the House floor with the purpose of circumventing the rules for an alleged Tribal Nation.

In my view, this legislation should have gone through the committee markup process before being put on the floor as a suspension bill, as has been done for numerous other bills this Congress, before being given consideration by the full House.

If the administration or Congress allows the Lumbee to bypass the OFA, it sends a clear message that other groups with dubious claims for Tribal recognition can also avoid the deliberation and scrutiny that the OFA petition process is designed to provide.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this legislation.

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