By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
The One Feather will now provide weekly legislative updates on various pieces of federal legislation of interest to members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The bills are shown in the order in which they were introduced following the new bills for the week.
New this Week
S. 2022 (Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2025). This Senate bill, according to the legislation, would “amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat Indian Tribal governments in the same manner as state governments for certain federal tax purposes, and for other purposes”.
Information from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs states, “This bipartisan legislation would create parity between Tribal and state and local governments in the federal tax code by:
- Updating rules for issuing tax-exempt debt to ensure Tribal governments are treated the same as state and local governments;
- Ensuring that essential pension and employment benefits are taxed in the same way as benefits from state governments;
- Ensuring that Tribal General Welfare Benefits are not unfairly categorized as income related to Supplemental Social Income eligibility or benefit amounts;
- Creating new business opportunities in low-income Tribal communities with a $175 New Markets Tax Credit;
- Increasing the effectiveness of Tribal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in Indian Country;
- Extending and updating the Indian Employment Tax Credit to better serve Tribal families;
- Allowing Indian Health Service (IHS) professionals to access recruitment and retention tax incentives; and
- Making it easier for Tribal families to adopt children and for Tribes to enforce child support.”
Cory Blankenship, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and executive director of the Native American Financial Officers Association (NAFOA), said in a statement, “The Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act takes essential steps to align federal tax policy with tribal sovereignty by addressing long-standing barriers to capital, workforce, and infrastructure development. As the legislation advances, NAFOA is committed to providing technical expertise that centers the realities of tribal communities to support its passage.”
Introduced: June 11 by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Action: The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
Bills we’re currently watching
H.R. 226 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act. This House bill would place 76 acres of land in eastern Tennessee into trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Included in that land are the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial, and the Tanasi Memorial sites.
Introduced: Jan. 7 by Rep. Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (R-Tenn.)
Action: This bill was passed in the House by a voice vote on Feb. 4. It was received in the Senate the next day and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. There are no scheduled hearings in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
S.107 (Lumbee Fairness Act). This Senate bill would grant federal acknowledgement to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a state-recognized group.
Introduced: Jan. 16 by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)
Action: The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 474 (Lumbee Fairness Act). This House bill would grant federal acknowledgment to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a state-recognized group. This bill is identical to S. 107.
Introduced: Jan. 16 by Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
S.761 (Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act). This Senate bill would establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies. According to Congress.gov, “Among other duties, the Commission must investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies – federal policies under which American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in boarding schools.”
Introduced: Feb. 26 by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Action: This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. It was “ordered to be reported without amendment favorably” by the Committee on March 5. No further action has been taken on this bill.
H.R. 2412 (Indigenous Diplomacy and Engagement Act). This House bill would establish an Office for Indigenous Affairs and an Advisory Commission for Indigenous Peoples within the Department of State.
Introduced: March 27 by Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawai’i)
Action: This bill was referred to both the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Natural Resources. There are no scheduled hearings in either Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 2929. Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe recognition bill. This House bill would grant federal acknowledgement to the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe of North Carolina, a state-recognized group.
Introduced: April 17 by Rep. Donald G. Davis (D-N.C.)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 3255. Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act of 2025. This House bill will would grant federal acknowledgment to the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, a state-recognized group in Michigan.
Introduced: May 7 by Rep. Hillar J. Scholten (D-Mich.)
Action: This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. There is not a scheduled hearing in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
H.R. 3444. Tribal Self-Determination and Co-Management in Forestry Act of 2025. According to the bill text, this House bill is “To direct Federal land management agencies of the Department of the Interior to establish Tribal Co-Management Plans and to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations for the performance of certain activities of the Forest Service, and for other purposes.”
Introduced: May 15 by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)
Action: This bill was referred to both the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture. It was referred to the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands on June 3, and a hearing was held in that subcommittee on June 10.
Here is the contact information for your federal legislators:
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.): https://www.tillis.senate.gov/email-me
Sen. Tedd Budd (R-N.C.): https://www.budd.senate.gov/contact/
11th District Congressional Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.): https://edwards.house.gov/contact
