Outgoing senators backing US recognition for 2 state tribes

By JAY REEVES
Associated Press

MOUNT VERNON, Ala. (AP) — Native American groups in Alabama and North Carolina are hoping that two outgoing U.S. senators can help them achieve something that’s been elusive so far: federal recognition as tribes. Victories in Congress could mean millions in federal funding for both. Retiring Sen. Richard Shelby is handling a bill for the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians in Alabama. And Sen. Richard Burr is sponsoring similar legislation for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Both groups are state-recognized tribes, but the federal government has not acknowledged them. Some federally recognized tribes oppose the bills, saying the groups are trying to short-circuit the process.