Members of Congress are returning to work this week and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina will be there to make a final push for federal recognition.

The House passed H.R.31, the Lumbee Recognition Act, last June. Now it's up to the Senate to take action.

"We're going to continue to work up until the last hour to make this happen," tribal spokesperson Alex Baker told The Fayetteville Observer.

Congress has not recognized any tribes since since 2000. But that particular bill was included in a much larger "omnibus" that became law in the final days of the session.

Prior to that, Congress hasn't passed a tribal recognition bill since the mid-1990s. Last year, Republicans boasted that they put a "stop" to the practice of legislative recognition during the debate on the Lumbee bill and another one to recognize six Virginia tribes.

Get the Story:
Lumbees make final push (The Fayetteville Observer 9/13)

Lumbee Recognition Bills:
S.1735 | H.R.31 | H.R.839

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