Indianz.Com > News > Witness list for Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on Lumbee Fairness Act
Witness list for Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on Lumbee Fairness Act
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Indianz.Com
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a legislative hearing to consider federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe.
The tribe, based in North Carolina, has been seeking acknowledgment as an Indian tribe since the late 1800s. A federal law, enacted in 1956 during the termination era, is seen as preventing the Lumbees from engaging in a government-to-government relationship with the United States.
S.107, the Lumbee Fairness Act, rescinds the 1956 law. The bill also ensures the federal government can place land-into-trust for the tribe in North Carolina, with land in Robeson County to be considered as the tribe’s “reservation.”
The hearing on S.107 takes place at 2:30pm Eastern in Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The witness list follows:
PANEL 1The Honorable Thom Tillis
Senator
North Carolina PANEL 2
The Honorable John Lowery [PDF: Testimony]
Chairman
Lumbee Tribe
Pembroke, North Carolina Ms. Arlinda Locklear [PDF: Testimony]
Tribal Attorney
Washington, DC The Honorable Michell Hicks [PDF: Testimony | Exhibits]
Principal Chief
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Cherokee, North Carolina The Honorable Ben Barnes [PDF: Testimony]
Chief
Shawnee Tribe
Miami, Oklahoma PANEL 3
Department of the Interior [PDF: Testimony]
Written Statement Only A web of the hearing will be available at indian.senate.gov.
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice
Legislative Hearing on S.107, the Lumbee Fairness Act (November 5, 2025)
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