119th Congress
S. 3859
A bill to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 with respect to future membership in the Catawba Indian Nation.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To President
- Became law
- Sponsor
- G000359
- Introduced
- Feb 12, 2026
- Policy area
- Native Americans
- Committees
- Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
- Official text
- Introduced in Senate · Congress.gov page
Cosponsors (2)
Original cosponsors (1)
- Tim Scott (R-SC)
Added later (1)
- Thom Tillis (R-NC) · Mar 18, 2026
Summary
Summary by the Congressional Research Service· describes the “Introduced in Senate” version
This bill revises tribal membership requirements for the Catawba Indian Nation (a tribe in South Carolina).
The Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 explicitly restricted the tribe’s future membership to lineal descendants of people on the final base membership roll who maintained continuous political relations with the tribe. This bill removes these membership criteria and allows the tribe to determine its membership. (The tribe uses three base membership rolls and anyone who wants to be enrolled must prove lineal descent from someone listed on one of these base membership rolls.)
Roll-call votes
No recorded votes on this bill.
Actions
- Sep 23, 2026 · Senate
Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. - Feb 12, 2026 · Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. - Feb 12, 2026
Introduced in Senate