Bill giving federal backing to Catawba Casino project passes senate
The Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act passed through the U.S. Senate Thursday. As part of National Defense Authorization Act, it is expected to be quickly signed into law by the president.
“(The) passage of this historical legislation is the final step in a decades-long fight,” Catawba Indian Nation officials wrote in a press release. That’s the fight for the Catawba’s claim to 17 acres of their aboriginal land in Kings Mountain, N.C., where the Catawba Two Kings Casino is located.
The Department of Interior placed the land in trust of the Rock Hill, SC-based Catawbas in March of 2020, designating the site as the tribe’s aboriginal land.
While the casino is up and running, lawsuits by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have kept the development in jeopardy. The Cherokee’s claim that the land is in fact their ancestral land.
This bill should bolster the project’s path to completion.
The EBCI’s most recent lawsuit was rejected in the U.S. District Court. They have since filed an appeal.
“The enactment into law of our lands act will likely have a significant impact of the Eastern Band’s appeal,” Catawba Chief Bill Harris said.
He’s right: the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act will provide federal backing to the Department of Interior’s decision, making any challenge to the Catawba’s ownership of the land a challenge to federal legislation.
“The Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act reaffirms the U.S. Department of Interior’s action recognizing our historical and ancestral ties to North Carolina. Congress, Interior, the State of North Carolina and a federal court have now all confirmed what the Catawba people have said from the beginning – these lands are the ancestral homelands of the Catawba people, and we intend to use them to improve the life of all the people in the community,” Harris said.
The Catawba Nation experiences high unemployment and poverty rates, causing many of its citizens to rely on the federal and state governments for social services, the press release said.
Officials are optimistic that the creation of the casino will return economic control to the tribe. The casino’s pre-launch facility is already up and running, with 1,000 total machines. The complete project — a $273 million casino and resort — is still under construction. An opening date has not yet been set. But the pre-launch facility already employs several Catawba citizens.
When the bill passed through the House of Representatives in November, U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said: “The enactment of this legislation is critical to helping the Catawba Indian Nation secure economic self-sufficience.”
Harris shared the same sentiment in Thursday’s release.
“These are the lands of not just our ancestors, but also the hundreds of Catawba citizens residing there today,” he said. “Make no mistake, this legislation means more people will have good paying jobs, more kids will have a better education and more people will have better housing and health care. That’s what this bill really means.”
The new law also confirms that the Catawba Nation is subject to the well-established rules and regulations of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act on their modern and ancestral lands in the State of North Carolina, the press release said.
The bill was passed by an overwhelming majority of 89-10 in the Senate and 361-55 in the House. The bill was sponsored in the Senate by: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Sen. Thom Thillis (R-NC) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). In the House, it was sponsored by: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Rep. William Timmons (R-SC-4), Rep. David Price (D-NC-4), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC-2) and Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-1).
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 2:00 AM.
