[House Report 119-583]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 119-583
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TO AMEND THE CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA LAND CLAIMS
SETTLEMENT ACT OF 1993
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April 2, 2026.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Westerman, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 4463]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 4463) to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South
Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993, having considered
the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
Purpose of the Legislation
The purpose of H.R. 4463 is to amend the Catawba Indian
Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.
Background and Need for Legislation
The Catawba Indian Nation is located by the town of Rock
Hill, South Carolina, close to the North Carolina border. In
the 1800s, the Catawba Indian Nation was left landless. In
1943, South Carolina purchased 630 acres for the tribe within
the boundaries of the tribe's original 15,326-square mile
reservation.\1\ In 1942, the Catawba Indian Nation began a
federal trust relationship, which Congress terminated in 1962
as part of a broader termination policy.\2\ Following
litigation and a federal policy shift towards supporting tribal
self-determination, Congress restored the Catawba Indian Nation
as a federally recognized tribe through the Catawba Indian
Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993
(Settlement Act).\3\
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\1\Veronica E. Velarde Tiller, Tiller's Guide to Indian Country:
Economic Profiles of American Indian Reservations. 2nd ed. Pg. 913.
\2\Id.
\3\Congressional Record. H.R. 2399--103rd Congress (1993-1994):
Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of
1993.
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The Settlement Act approved, ratified, and confirmed the
Tribe-State Settlement Agreement between the Catawba Indian
Nation and the State of South Carolina. It also resolved the
tribe's land claims, provided a financing structure, and
established land, leasing, and gaming frameworks. The
Settlement Act also explicitly restricted future tribal
membership to individuals who were lineal descendants of people
on the final base membership roll and who continued to maintain
political relations with the tribe.\4\ A review of 74 tribal
settlement acts enacted since 1975 indicated that fewer than 10
percent included any provision addressing future tribal
membership.\5\ When such provisions were included, they
generally stated that future membership was to be governed by
tribal constitutions or ordinances.
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\4\Pub. Law 103-116, 107 Stat. 1124.
\5\Email between the Congressional Research Service and Rep.
Norman's Staff, dated March 13, 2024.
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H.R. 4463, introduced by Representative Ralph Norman (R-
SC), strikes the clause in the Settlement Act that establishes
future membership criteria. The process for recognizing tribal
membership would instead be governed by the Catawba Indian
Nation's Constitution.
Committee Action
H.R. 4463 was introduced on July 16, 2025, by
Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC). The bill was referred to
the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to
the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs. On September 9,
2025, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a
hearing on the bill. On February 11, 2026, the Committee on
Natural Resources met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on
Indian and Insular Affairs was discharged from further
consideration of H.R. 4463 by unanimous consent. The bill was
ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by
unanimous consent.
Hearings
For the purposes of clause 3(c)(6) of House rule XIII, the
following hearing was used to develop or consider this measure:
hearing by the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held
on September 9, 2025.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Future membership of the Catawba Indian Tribe of South
Carolina
Section 1 strikes the requirement for lineal descendancy
and continued political relations with the tribe in determining
eligibility for membership in the Catawba Indian Nation.
Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
Compliance With House Rule XIII and
Congressional Budget Act
1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act.
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of House rule XIII and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and pursuant to
clause 3(c)(3) of House rule XIII and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has requested
but not received from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office a budgetary analysis and a cost estimate of this bill.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of
South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.
Earmark Statement
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Statement
An estimate of federal mandates prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act was not made available to the
Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chair of
the Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the
Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee, if such
estimate is not publicly available on the Congressional Budget
Office website.
Existing Programs
Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any
directed rule makings.
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
Applicability to Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets and
existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman):
CATAWBA INDIAN TRIBE OF SOUTH CAROLINA LAND
CLAIMS SETTLEMENT ACT OF 1993
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SEC. 7 BASE MEMBERSHIP ROLL.
(a) Base Membership Roll Criteria.--Within one year after
enactment of this section, the Tribe shall submit to the
Secretary, for approval, its base membership roll. An
individual is eligible for inclusion on the base membership
roll if that individual is living on the date of enactment of
this Act and--
(1) is listed on the membership roll published by the
Secretary in the Federal Register on February 25, 1961
(26 FR 1680-1688, ``Notice of Final Membership Roll''),
and is not excluded under the provisions of subsection
(c);
(2) the Executive Committee determines, based on the
criteria used to compile the roll referred to in
paragraph (1), that the individual should have been
included on the membership roll at that time, but was
not; or
(3) is a lineal descendant of a Member whose name
appeared or should have appeared on the membership roll
referred to in paragraph (1).
(b) Base Membership Roll Notice.--Within 90 days after the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish in the
Federal Register, and in three newspapers of general
circulation in the Tribe's service area, a notice stating--
(1) that a base membership roll is being prepared by
the Tribe and that the current membership roll is open
and will remain open for a period of 90 days;
(2) the requirements for inclusion on the base
membership roll;
(3) the final membership roll published by the
Secretary in the Federal Register on February 25,1961;
(4) the current membership roll as prepared by the
Executive Committee and approved by the General
Council; and
(5) the name and address of the tribal or Federal
official to whom inquiries should be made.
(c) Completion of Base Membership Roll.--Within 120 days
after publication of notice under subsection (b), the
Secretary, after consultation with the Tribe, shall prepare and
publish in the Federal Register, and in three newspapers of
general circulation in the Tribe's service area, a proposed
final base membership roll of the Tribe. Within 60 days from
the date of publication of the proposed final base membership
roll, an appeal may be filed with the Executive Committee under
rules made by the Executive Committee in consultation with the
Secretary. Such an appeal may be filed by a Member with respect
to the inclusion oi any name on the proposed final base
membership roll and by any person with respect to the exclusion
of his or her name from the final base membership roll. The
Executive Committee shall review such appeals and render a
decision, subject to the Secretary's approval. If the Executive
Committee and the Secretary disagree, the Secretary's decision
will be final. All such appeals shall be resolved within 90
days following publication of the proposed roll. The final base
membership roll of the Tribe shall then be published in the
Federal Register, and in three newspapers of general
circulation in the Tribes service area, and shall be final for
purposes of the distribution of funds from the Per Capita Trust
Fund established under section 11(h).
(d) Future Membership in the Tribe.--The Tribe shall have the
right to determine future membership in the Tribe[; 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].
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