Floor Speech2026-06-02

FUTURE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Context

On 2026-06-02, Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4) delivered a floor speech titled "FUTURE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA" in the House.

Full Text

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3751-H3752] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] FUTURE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA 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''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas. General Leave Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 4463, the bill now under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas? There was no objection. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 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 [[Page H3752]] 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. 4463, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4463, which would respect the principles of self-determination and self-governance by restoring the Catawba Indian Nation's right to determine their own citizenship criteria. Congress enacted the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina land Claims Settlement Act in 1993 to resolve the Nation's longstanding land claims and provide for monetary settlement funds. The act included a restrictive provision that limited the Nation's enrollment to individuals who could demonstrate both lineal descent from the 1962 final roll and a maintained political relationship with the Tribe. While the intention of this requirement was to determine eligibility for settlement distributions, which have long been completed, it has had further-reaching implications for the Tribe's ability to enroll its own members. H.R. 4463 is a simple but meaningful fix to remove this restriction so that the Nation can determine their own citizenship criteria. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. 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. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4463. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________

Referenced legislation: HR4463, HR4463

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FUTURE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3751-H3752] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] FUTURE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA 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''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas. General Leave Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 4463, the bill now under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas? There was no objection. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 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 [[Page H3752]] 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. 4463, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4463, which would respect the principles of self-determination and self-governance by restoring the Catawba Indian Nation's right to determine their own citizenship criteria. Congress enacted the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina land Claims Settlement Act in 1993 to resolve the Nation's longstanding land claims and provide for monetary settlement funds. The act included a restrictive provision that limited the Nation's enrollment to individuals who could demonstrate both lineal descent from the 1962 final roll and a maintained political relationship with the Tribe. While the intention of this requirement was to determine eligibility for settlement distributions, which have long been completed, it has had further-reaching implications for the Tribe's ability to enroll its own members. H.R. 4463 is a simple but meaningful fix to remove this restriction so that the Nation can determine their own citizenship criteria. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. 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. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4463. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________ Referenced legislation: HR4463, HR4463