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S. 3859 · 119th Congress

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 One Chamber→
Passed Both Chambers→
Became Law

Latest action: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. — 09/23/2026

What This Bill Does

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.)

Summary as of 02/12/2026, via Congress.gov / Congressional Research Service.

Sponsor
Lindsey Graham ↗
R · South Carolina
Introduced
02/12/2026
Policy Area
Native Americans
Cosponsors
2
📋 Full Bill Text & History on Congress.gov ↗

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