Strengthen Our Tribal Communities Act.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 224

Short Title: Strengthen Our Tribal Communities Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Lowery, B. Jones, Ward, and Chesser (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
February 27, 2025
*H224-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE NORTH CAROLINA GAMING EDUCATION 2
REVENUE FUND AND TO APPROPRIATE ADDITION AL FUNDS FROM THAT 3
FUND. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 143C-9-7 reads as rewritten: 6
"§ 143C-9-7. Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund. 7
(a) The "Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund" is established in the State Treasury. 8
Funds shall be expended from the Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund only by specific 9
appropriation by the General Assembly. 10
(b) Upon Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, upon appropriation by the 11
General Assembly, funds received in the Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund shall be 12
allocated quarterly by the State Board of Education to local school administrative u nits, charter 13
schools, and regional schools on the basis of allotted average daily membership. The funds 14
allotted by the State Board of Education pursuant to this section shall be nonreverting. Funds 15
received pursuant to this section by local school admini strative units in this State shall be 16
expended for the sole purpose of educating children in the classroom. 17
(c) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, u pon appropriation by the 18
General Assembly, funds received in the Indian Gaming Fund shall be allocated quarterly to the 19
North Carolina State Commission of Indian Affairs, the non-gaming Indian tribes recognized by 20
the State in Chapter 71A of the General Statutes , and the four Urban Indian Organizations that 21
are members of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. Funds received pursuant to 22
this section by the North Carolina State Commission of Indian Affairs shall be expended for the 23
Commission's operating expenses and programs. Funds received pursuant to this section by the 24
non-gaming Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations shall be expended to support cultural and 25
economic development." 26
SECTION 2.(a) There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 27
Section 1 of this act, to the Department of Administration, North Carolina State Commission of 28
Indian Affairs, the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in recurring funds for each year of 29
the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium for the Commission's operating expenses and programs. 30
SECTION 2.(b) There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 31
Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of five million two 32
hundred fifty thousand dollars ($5,250,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025 -2027 33
fiscal biennium to provide direct ed grants to the seven non -gaming Indian tribes to be used for 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 224-First Edition
cultural, educational, and economic development. These funds shall be divided equally among 1
the following: 2
(1) The Coharie of Sampson and Harnett Counties. 3
(2) The Haliwa-Saponi of Halifax, Warren, and adjoining counties. 4
(3) The Lumbee of Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland Counties. 5
(4) The Meherrin of Hertford, Bertie, Northampton, and Gates Counties. 6
(5) The Waccamaw-Siouan from Columbus and Bladen Counties. 7
(6) The Sappony of Person County. 8
(7) The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation of Orange and surrounding 9
counties. 10
SECTION 2.(c) There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 11
Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of four hundred 12
thousand dollars ($400,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to 13
provide directed grants to the four Urban Indian Organizations to be used for cultural, 14
educational, and economic development. These funds shall be divided equally among the 15
following: 16
(1) The Cumberland County Association for Indian People of Cumberland 17
County. 18
(2) The Guilford Native Americans Association of Guilford and surrounding 19
counties. 20
(3) The Metrolina Native Americans Association of Mecklenburg and 21
surrounding counties. 22
(4) The Triangle Native American Society of Wake and surrounding counties. 23
SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 24
Section 1 of this act, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in recurring funds f or 25
each year of the 2025 -2027 fiscal biennium to support the State Advisory Council on Indian 26
Education. 27
SECTION 4. There is appropriated from the Indian Gaming Fund, as renamed in 28
Section 1 of this act, to the Office of State Budget and Management the su m of one million one 29
hundred thousand dollars ($1,100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year to 30
provide directed grants as follows: 31
(1) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to the Haliwa -Saponi Tribe, 32
Incorporated, for operating costs and capital needs of the Haliwa -Saponi 33
Tribal School. 34
(2) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) to Old Main STREAM Academy, 35
Inc., for operating costs and capital needs of the Old Main STREAM 36
Academy. 37
(3) One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to the Waccamaw-Siouan Indian 38
Tribe, Inc., to support the Waccamaw Siouan Daycare. 39
SECTION 5. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 40