To amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.
Key claim: HR4463 amends the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 to remove federal restrictions that limited membership to lineal descendants with continuous political relations, allowing the Catawba Indian Nation to determine its own membership.
Abstract
(HR4463 · 119th Congress) 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.) Latest action (2026-06-03): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Why this matters
HR4463 amends the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 to remove federal restrictions that limited membership to lineal descendants with continuous political relations, allowing the Catawba Indian Nation to determine its own membership.