Tillis signs on as co-sponsor of Lumbee bill

LUMBERTON — Sen. Thom Tillis has added his name to the effort to get the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina full federal recognition.

On Tuesday, the Republican signed on as a co-sponsor of Senate legislation that aims to make long-sought recognition a reality. The legislation, titled the Lumbee Recognition Act, was introduced to the Senate by North Carolina’s other Senate delegate, Richard Burr, on May 8. To date, Tillis is the only co-sponsor.

Tillis decided to add his name to the Lumbee Recognition Act after speaking with Burr, even though the senator always has supported giving full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, according to a statement from Tillis’ office. His statement suggested congressional action is the only viable path.

“It is clear that the federal acknowledgement process at the Bureau of Indian Affairs is in desperate need of reforms and Sen. Tillis does not believe that we should hold the Lumbee Tribe hostage and deny them consideration for federal recognition while waiting on much-needed changes to reform the BIA’s FAP. Sen. Tillis looks forward to working with Sen. Burr and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs,” the statement reads in part.

Lumbee Tribe Chairman Harvey Godwin Jr. met and spoke with Tillis this past week in Washington, D.C.

“Having Tillis sign the recognition bill, it’s not only important, it’s critical,” Godwin said.

It marks the first time in many years that both of North Carolina’s U.S. senators have signed on to federal recognition legislation, he said. Having the senators, and as many as possible of the 13 House members who represent North Carolina, support federal recognition lends strength to the tribe’s fight to be recognized by the U.S. government.

“Now we look forward to committee action in the fall,” Godwin said.

It’s time “to get it done,” he said. The Lumbee Tribe, which has state recognition, has been seeking federal recognition since 1888.

The Senate Lumbee recognition legislation was read twice in the chamber on the day it was introduced and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs the same day. There has been no action on the legislation since.

It’s companion bill in the House is H.R. 1964, which was introduced by Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from North Carolina on March 28. It was referred to the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States on April 17, and there it has remained without further action.

Co-sponsors to the House legislation are Rep. Don Young, a Republican from Arkansas; and Reps. Richard Hudson, David Price and Dan Bishop, all from North Carolina. Hudson and Bishop are Republicans. Price is a Democrat.

Bishop, who won a special election for the N.C. District 9 seat on Sept. 10, signed on as a co-sponsor on Sept. 17, the same day he was sworn in as a member of the U.S. House. It was one of his first official acts as a member of Congress.

Tillis’ action comes as he gears up for a fight to win re-election to the Senate seat he has held since January 2015. The Democratic Party actively has been recruiting challengers for the seat because party leaders see Tillis as vulnerable.

Three people have risen to the challenge, including state Sen. Erica Smith, of Northampton County, and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Trevor Fuller, both Democrats.

The most recent challenger to step forward is former state senator and Army Reserve counsel Calvin Cunningham III, a Democrat. Cunningham was running for lieutenant governor but jumped from that campaign into the Senate race.