Bill > S655

This bill extends several legal rights and provisions previously applicable only to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to also include the Catawba Indian Nation. The bill makes comprehensive changes across multiple areas of North Carolina state law, including full faith and credit for tribal court judgments, county services, law enforcement authority, probation and parole services, criminal trespassing statutes, and community college tuition waivers. Specifically, the bill allows North Carolina courts to give full faith and credit to judgments from Catawba Nation Tribal Courts, permits Catawba Nation law enforcement officers to have similar jurisdictional powers as Cherokee tribal police within their trust lands, establishes provisions for Catawba Nation probation and parole services, and adds the Catawba Indian Nation to lists of entities eligible for various state services and protections. The changes effectively recognize the Catawba Indian Nation's tribal sovereignty and provide legal frameworks similar to those already established for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The bill ensures that existing agreements between counties and the Catawba Indian Nation remain valid and most provisions become effective immediately upon becoming law, with the trespassing statute changes specifically taking effect on December 1, 2025.

Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S655