Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) opposes S.676, a bill to fix the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar.

The bill ensures that all tribes, regardless of the date of federal recognition, can follow the land-into-trust process. That includes the would allow the Narragansett Tribe, whose leaders are trying to place land in trust for housing.

"They don't want us to have sovereignty over that land," Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas told the Associated Press.

The Narragansett Tribe gained federal recognition in 1983. The Supreme Court said the tribe wasn't under federal jurisdiction in 1934, when the Indian Reorganization Act became law.

S.676 amends the IRA to address the date issue. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved the bill last Thursday.

Get the Story:
Chafee has qualified opposition to land-trust fix (The Providence Journal 4/9)
RI governor: Don't free tribal land from state law (AP 4/8)

Supreme Court Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Thomas] | Concurrence [Breyer] | Dissent [Stevens] | Concurrence/Dissent [Souter]

Related Stories:
Senate Indian Affairs Committee approves land-into-trust fix (4/8)
Rep. Cole introduces fix to Supreme Court land-into-trust ruling (4/4)
Echo Hawk 'strongly supports' fix to land-into-trust decision (3/31)
Bills introduced to fix Supreme Court land-into-trust decision (3/31)
White House aide vows support for fix to land-into-trust decision (3/1)
Land-into-trust fix in limbo amid dispute on appropriations bill (12/17)