Lumbee Recognition: Costs

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c042_020_011_003_tr.txt

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Extent (Dublin Core)

1 Page

File Name (Dublin Core)

c042_020_011_003

Title (Dublin Core)

Lumbee Recognition: Costs

Description (Dublin Core)

Fact sheet discussing the costs of recognizing the Lumbee Tribe to the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs)

Date (Dublin Core)

undated

Date Created (Dublin Core)

2003

Congress (Dublin Core)

108th (2003-2005)

Topics (Dublin Core)

See all items with this valueLumbee Indians

Creator (Dublin Core)

Dole, Elizabeth Hanford

Record Type (Dublin Core)

notes (documents)

Location representation (Dublin Core)

See all items with this valueNorth Carolina

Language (Dublin Core)

eng

Collection Finding Aid (Dublin Core)

https://dolearchivecollections.ku.edu/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=343&q=

Physical Location (Dublin Core)

Collection 042, Box 20, Folder 11

Institution (Dublin Core)

Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Archival Collection (Dublin Core)

Elizabeth Hanford Dole Senate Papers, 1995-2022

Full Text (Extract Text)

Lumbee Recognition: Costs

1. The Lumbee, while a large tribe, would only increase the number on the rolls by 2.2%. The cost estimate for the Lumbee offered by Deputy Assistant Secretary Arlene Martin of possibly increasing cost by as much as 15%-20% when asked by Chairman Campbell is unrealistic.

2. The usual method employed to calculate the costs of extending federal recognition to an Indian tribe, i.e., multiplying tribal members by the average per capita cost of federal Indian services, grossly overstates the costs of Lumbee recognition.

As a long-time state recognized tribe, the Lumbee Tribe already receives services that are usually counted into the cost of federal recognition of a tribe. These are from HUD [NAHASDA program], Department of Labor [Workforce Investment Act], and HHS [Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Community Services Block Grant, and Indian Education Program.] Because the usual per capita calculation to determine costs includes these programs, that calculation does not accurately estimate the costs of Lumbee recognition. Also, many of the programs for which the Tribe would be newly eligible would not be delivered to the Lumbee Tribe. These include trust services for the protection of reservation lands [the bill does not create an Indian reservation] and law enforcement [the bill authorizes the State of North Carolina to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction over tribal members.]

As a result, an accurate assessment of the costs would require an analysis of programs for which the Tribe would become newly eligible and which are relevant to the Tribe's situation. These would be principally social services programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs [DOI] and health services of the Indian Health Service [HHS].

3. The largest cost of federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe would be Indian Health Services [IHS], which are delivered to newly recognized tribes upon an appropriation for those added costs.

When a tribe is recognized, the IHS analyzes the tribe's heath care needs. A budget is prepared based on that analysis and is included in the next annual budget request. Only when Congress appropriates that amount does the newly recognized tribe receive those services. IHS describes this budget process as "each tribe carrying its own purse." As a result, no other tribe's health budget is impacted by the addition of a newly recognized tribe to the service population.

Because Indian Health Services vary from tribe to tribe, the cost of health services is difficult to estimate. In the past, though, this cost has been estimated at $75 million per annum for the Lumbee Tribe.

4. Immediate costs in Bureau of Indian Affair programs will be less than 500,000 in the first fiscal year and will increase over time as social services needs are assessed and budget requests for those needs are appropriated.

In the first fiscal year following recognition, the Secretary would bear the cost of verifying the membership roll for the purpose of establishing a base service population. In addition, the Tribe would become immediately available for so-called new tribes funding, which is intended to assist in organization of a newly recognized tribe. This cost for the Lumbee Tribe would be negligible, since the Tribe has already adopted a constitution and elected tribal officials thereunder who can conduct the Tribe's business with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The other relevant Bureau programs are social services for tribal members, which costs will be determined following a needs assessment and with budget requests for those services included in the fiscal budget two to three years out.