State-recognized tribes in the United States are organizations that identify as Native American tribes or heritage groups that do not meet the criteria for federally recognized Indian tribes but have been recognized by a process established under assorted state government laws for varying purposes. State recognition does not dictate whether or not they are recognized as Native American tribes by continually existing tribal nations. In the late 20th century, some states have passed legislation that recognizes some tribes. Most such groups are located in the Eastern United States, including the three of largest state-recognized tribes in the US, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, and the United Houma Nation of Louisiana, each of which has more than ten thousand members. State recognition confers few benefits under federal law. It is not the same as federal recognition, which is the federal government's acknowledgment of a tribe as a dependent sovereign nation. Some states have provided laws related to state recognition that provide some protection of autonomy for tribes that are not recognized by the federal government. For example, in Connecticut, state law recognizing certain tribes also protects reservations and limited self-government rights for state-recognized tribes. Such state recognition has at times been opposed by federally-recognized tribes. For instance, the Cherokee Nation, which enrolls proven descendants, opposes state-recognized tribes, as well as Cherokee heritage groups and others with no documented descent who claim Cherokee identity. Other groups that identify as being Native American tribes but lack federal or state recognition are listed in the list of unrecognized tribes in the United States. Many organizations try to assert that various congratulatory resolutions are recognition as a Native American tribe by a state; however, "Resolutions are statements of opinions and, unlike bills, do not have the force of law." Description The United States Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, gives ultimate authority with regard to matters affecting the American Indian tribes to the United States federal governnment. Under US federal law and regulations, an American Indian tribe is a group of Native Americans with self-government authority. This defines those tribes recognized by the federal government. By late 2007, about 16 states had recognized 62 tribes. Typically, the state legislature or state agencies involved in cultural or Native American affairs make the formal recognition by criteria they establish, often with Native American representatives, and sometimes based on federal criteria.