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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- H 5733 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC001998 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 15 | 15 | | CONFERRING LIMITED PURPOSE RECOGNITION TO THE NATIVE AMERICAN |
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| 16 | 16 | | SEACONKE WAMPANOAG T RIBE |
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| 17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Representatives Slater, Diaz, Morales, and DeSimone |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: House State Government & Elections |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, According to the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, under the Department of 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | the Interior, each state legislature has the authority to determine if/when state recognition shall be 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | granted to its indigenous tribes; now, therefore be it 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | RESOLVED, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island hereby officially 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | recognizes the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe as a Native American Indian tribe for the limited 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | purpose of assisting this tribe in establishing eligibility for federal education, job training, and 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | housing benefits and federal protection for the sale of artwork; qualifying for public and private 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | grants for which Indian tribes or groups, or members thereof, may be eligible; protecting the 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | ability of this tribe and their members to engage in traditional religious practices and ceremonies; 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | preserving and protecting burial sites and artifacts; and ensuring that handicrafts made by tribal 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | members may be sold as "Indian made"; and be it further 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | RESOLVED, That this General Assembly hereby further states that this resolution shall 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | not confer recognition for any purpose except as expressly stated herein, and shall not be 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | evidence that the tribe has a State compact or State approval for the purposes of the federal Indian 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | Gaming Regulatory Act, 25 U.S.C. ch. 29 ยง 2701 et seq.; and be it further 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That this General Assembly hereby further states that the limited State 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | recognition accorded to this tribe shall not be construed to affect in any way a tribe's or group's 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | case for federal recognition, shall not confer the right of any tribe, group or individual to conduct 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | gambling of any kind or to engage in the sale of motor fuels or tobacco and shall not constitute an 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC001998 - Page 2 of 2 |
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| 44 | 44 | | acknowledgement of any claim by any tribe, group, or individual to any ancestral, tribal or other 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | public or private lands; and be it further 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | State of Rhode Island. 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | ======== |
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| 50 | 50 | | LC001998 |
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| 51 | 51 | | ======== |
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