AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RECOGNITION OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES (Recognizes the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe as a Native American Indian tribe for the limited purpose of assisting this tribe in establishing eligibility for federal benefits and privileges.)

H7997

2026 -- H 7997
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LC005405
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RECOGNITION OF NATIVE
AMERICAN TRIBES

Introduced By:
Representatives Slater, and Diaz

Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026

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 169
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RECOGNITION OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES
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42-169-1. 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 § 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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