NC
North Carolina House Bill H224

North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H224 Compare Versions

OldNewDifferences
11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 224
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH10088-LGa-17A
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Strengthen Our Tribal Communities Act. (Public)
8-Sponsors: Representatives Lowery, B. Jones, Ward, and Chesser (Primary Sponsors).
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11-February 27, 2025
12-*H224 -v-1*
9+Sponsors: Representative Lowery.
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH10088 -LGa-17A*
1313 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1414 AN ACT TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE NORTH CAROLINA GAMING EDUCATION 2
1515 REVENUE FUND AND TO APPROPRIATE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FROM THAT 3
1616 FUND. 4
1717 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
1818 SECTION 1. G.S. 143C-9-7 reads as rewritten: 6
1919 "ยง 143C-9-7. Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund. 7
2020 (a) The "Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund" is established in the State Treasury. 8
2121 Funds shall be expended from the Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund only by specific 9
2222 appropriation by the General Assembly. 10
2323 (b) Upon Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, upon appropriation by the 11
2424 General Assembly, funds received in the Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund shall be 12
2525 allocated quarterly by the State Board of Education to local school administrative units, charter 13
2626 schools, and regional schools on the basis of allotted average daily membership. The funds 14
2727 allotted by the State Board of Education pursuant to this section shall be nonreverting. Funds 15
2828 received pursuant to this section by local school administrative units in this State shall be 16
2929 expended for the sole purpose of educating children in the classroom. 17
3030 (c) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, upon appropriation by the 18
3131 General Assembly, funds received in the Indian Gaming Fund shall be allocated quarterly to the 19
3232 North Carolina State Commission of Indian Affairs, the non-gaming Indian tribes recognized by 20
3333 the State in Chapter 71A of the General Statutes, and the four Urban Indian Organizations that 21
3434 are members of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. Funds received pursuant to 22
3535 this section by the North Carolina State Commission of Indian Affairs shall be expended for the 23
3636 Commission's operating expenses and programs. Funds received pursuant to this section by the 24
3737 non-gaming Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations shall be expended to support cultural and 25
3838 economic development." 26
3939 SECTION 2.(a) There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 27
4040 Section 1 of this act, to the Department of Administration, North Carolina State Commission of 28
4141 Indian Affairs, the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in recurring funds for each year of 29
4242 the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium for the Commission's operating expenses and programs. 30
4343 SECTION 2.(b) There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 31
4444 Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of five million two 32
4545 hundred fifty thousand dollars ($5,250,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 33
46-fiscal biennium to provide directed grants to the seven non-gaming Indian tribes to be used for 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
47-Page 2 House Bill 224-First Edition
48-cultural, educational, and economic development. These funds shall be divided equally among 1
49-the following: 2
50-(1) The Coharie of Sampson and Harnett Counties. 3
51-(2) The Haliwa-Saponi of Halifax, Warren, and adjoining counties. 4
52-(3) The Lumbee of Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland Counties. 5
53-(4) The Meherrin of Hertford, Bertie, Northampton, and Gates Counties. 6
54-(5) The Waccamaw-Siouan from Columbus and Bladen Counties. 7
55-(6) The Sappony of Person County. 8
56-(7) The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation of Orange and surrounding 9
57-counties. 10
58-SECTION 2.(c) There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 11
59-Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of four hundred 12
60-thousand dollars ($400,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to 13
61-provide directed grants to the four Urban Indian Organizations to be used for cultural, 14
62-educational, and economic development. These funds shall be divided equally among the 15
63-following: 16
64-(1) The Cumberland County Association for Indian People of Cumberland 17
65-County. 18
66-(2) The Guilford Native Americans Association of Guilford and surrounding 19
67-counties. 20
68-(3) The Metrolina Native Americans Association of Mecklenburg and 21
69-surrounding counties. 22
70-(4) The Triangle Native American Society of Wake and surrounding counties. 23
71-SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 24
72-Section 1 of this act, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in recurring funds for 25
73-each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to support the State Advisory Council on Indian 26
74-Education. 27
75-SECTION 4. There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 28
76-Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of one million one 29
77-hundred thousand dollars ($1,100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to 30
78-provide directed grants as follows: 31
79-(1) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, 32
80-Incorporated, for operating costs and capital needs of the Haliwa-Saponi 33
81-Tribal School. 34
82-(2) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to Old Main STREAM Academy, 35
83-Inc., for operating costs and capital needs of the Old Main STREAM 36
84-Academy. 37
85-(3) One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to the Waccamaw-Siouan Indian 38
86-Tribe, Inc., to support the Waccamaw Siouan Daycare. 39
87-SECTION 5. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 40
46+fiscal biennium to provide directed grants to the seven non-gaming Indian tribes to be used for 34
47+cultural, educational, and economic development. These funds shall be divided equally among 35
48+the following: 36
49+H.B. 224
50+Feb 26, 2025
51+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRH10088-LGa-17A
53+(1) The Coharie of Sampson and Harnett Counties. 1
54+(2) The Haliwa-Saponi of Halifax, Warren, and adjoining counties. 2
55+(3) The Lumbee of Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland Counties. 3
56+(4) The Meherrin of Hertford, Bertie, Northampton, and Gates Counties. 4
57+(5) The Waccamaw-Siouan from Columbus and Bladen Counties. 5
58+(6) The Sappony of Person County. 6
59+(7) The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation of Orange and surrounding 7
60+counties. 8
61+SECTION 2.(c) There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 9
62+Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of four hundred 10
63+thousand dollars ($400,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to 11
64+provide directed grants to the four Urban Indian Organizations to be used for cultural, 12
65+educational, and economic development. These funds shall be divided equally among the 13
66+following: 14
67+(1) The Cumberland County Association for Indian People of Cumberland 15
68+County. 16
69+(2) The Guilford Native Americans Association of Guilford and surrounding 17
70+counties. 18
71+(3) The Metrolina Native Americans Association of Mecklenburg and 19
72+surrounding counties. 20
73+(4) The Triangle Native American Society of Wake and surrounding counties. 21
74+SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 22
75+Section 1 of this act, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in recurring funds for 23
76+each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to support the State Advisory Council on Indian 24
77+Education. 25
78+SECTION 4. There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 26
79+Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of one million one 27
80+hundred thousand dollars ($1,100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to 28
81+provide directed grants as follows: 29
82+(1) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, 30
83+Incorporated, for operating costs and capital needs of the Haliwa-Saponi 31
84+Tribal School. 32
85+(2) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to Old Main STREAM Academy, 33
86+Inc., for operating costs and capital needs of the Old Main STREAM 34
87+Academy. 35
88+(3) One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to the Waccamaw-Siouan Indian 36
89+Tribe, Inc., to support the Waccamaw Siouan Daycare. 37
90+SECTION 5. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 38