Future Membership of the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4463) to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4463

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. FUTURE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

Subsection (d) of section 7 of the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-116), is amended by striking ``; however, in no event may an individual be enrolled as a tribal member unless the individual is a lineal descendant of a person on the final base membership roll and has continued to maintain political relations with the Tribe''.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WESTERMAN. 4463, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4463, introduced by Representative Norman of South Carolina, amends the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 to remove Federal restrictions on future membership in the Catawba Indian Nation.

This is a straightforward Tribal sovereignty bill. In 1993, Congress passed the Catawba settlement act. That statute restored the Catawba Indian Nation's Federal recognition, resolved its land claims, and set out several rules for the Tribe in Federal law.

The law also did something unusual. It put future membership rules for the Catawba Indian Nation directly into Federal statute. In practical terms, Congress, not the Tribe, set the requirements for who could be a Tribal member going forward.

H.R. 4463 restores sovereignty to the Tribe. It removes Federal membership restrictions and allows the Catawba Indian Nation to determine its own membership under its own constitution and governing processes.

That is how this should work. Deciding who belongs to a Tribe is one of the most basic parts of Tribal self-government. It should be handled by the Tribe through its own laws, not locked into Federal law by Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Norman for his work on this important bill. I support H.R.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4463 is a narrow, commonsense bill. It removes a unique Federal restriction on the Catawba Indian Nation and returns future membership decisions to the Tribe's own constitution and governing processes.

Membership is a core part of Tribal self-government. This bill respects that principle.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Norman for his leadership. I urge passage of H.R. 4463, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source