2023 -- H 5021

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LC000218

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RECOGNITION OF NATIVE

AMERICAN TRIBES

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Vella-Wilkinson, Noret, Morales, Casimiro, Bennett,
Sanchez, Kazarian, and J Lombardi

     Date Introduced: January 06, 2023

     Referred To: House State Government & Elections

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND

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GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 165

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RECOGNITION OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES

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     42-165-1. Seaconke Wampanoag tribe.

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     (a) The State of Rhode Island officially recognizes the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe as a

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Native American Indian tribe for the limited purpose of assisting this tribe in establishing eligibility

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for federal education, job training, and housing benefits and federal protection for the sale of

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artwork; qualifying for public and private grants for which Indian tribes or groups, or members

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thereof, may be eligible; protecting the ability of this tribe and their members to engage in

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traditional religious practices and ceremonies; preserving and protecting burial sites and artifacts;

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and ensuring that handicrafts made by tribal members may be sold as "Indian made."

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     (b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed or interpreted as conferring recognition for

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any purpose except as expressly stated in subsection (a) of this section, or as evidence that a tribe

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has a state compact or state approval for the purposes of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,

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25 U.S.C. ch. 29 ยง 2701 et seq. The limited state recognition accorded to this tribe named in

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subsection (a) of this section, shall not be construed to affect in any way a tribe's or group's case

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for federal recognition, shall not confer the right of any tribe, group or individual to conduct

 

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gambling of any kind or to engage in the sale of motor fuels or tobacco and shall not constitute an

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acknowledgement of any claim by any tribe, group, or individual to any ancestral, tribal or other

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public or private lands.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RECOGNITION OF NATIVE

AMERICAN TRIBES

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     This act would recognize the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe as a Native American Indian

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tribe for the limited purpose of assisting this tribe in establishing eligibility for federal benefits and

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privileges.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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