Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act
Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act would grant federal recognition to the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, Incorporated. It authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to take lands into trust for the Tribe within a defined Virginia region (with an initial eligibility for lands acquired on or before January 1, 2022, and a potential for other lands upon request). Once recognized, the Tribe and its members would be eligible for the federal services and benefits available to federally recognized tribes, with the Tribe’s service area defined to include several Virginia counties. The bill also sets rules for membership, governance, and land-ownership while explicitly restricting gaming and preserving existing hunting, fishing, and water rights. It preserves ICWA protections, and its long Findings section provides historical context for recognizing the Tribe. In short, the bill would正式 recognize the Nottoway as a federal tribal government, enable possible creation of trust lands within specified Virginia counties, and lay out governance, service, and gaming parameters tied to that recognition.
Key Points
- 1Federal recognition and scope
- 2- The bill grants federal recognition to the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, Incorporated, making it eligible for federally provided services and benefits applicable to federally recognized tribes.
- 3- All general federal laws applicable to Indian tribes apply to the Tribe and its members, so long as they do not conflict with this Act.
- 4Service area and federal services
- 5- After enactment, Tribe members are eligible for federal services and benefits available to federally recognized tribes.
- 6- The Tribe’s service area for delivering these services is defined as the Virginia counties of Nottoway, Southampton, Sussex, Surry, Isle of Wight, Franklin, and Dinwiddie.
- 7Membership and governing documents
- 8- The Tribe’s membership rolls and governing documents, as submitted to the Secretary, will be the basis for recognition, i.e., the most recent roll and documents on file at enactment.
- 9Land into trust and potential reservation
- 10- Upon the Tribe’s request, the Secretary may take into trust for the Tribe land within specified Virginia counties. Lands acquired on or before January 1, 2022, may be taken into trust (a)(1); additional lands may be taken into trust (a)(2).
- 11- Lands taken into trust under (a)(1) may be considered part of the Tribe’s reservation upon request.
- 12- A final written determination for lands requested under (a)(2) must be issued no later than three years after the Tribe submits the request, and this determination must be shared with the Tribe.
- 13Governance and reservation framework
- 14- The Tribe’s governing body will be the one in place at enactment or any later body elected under the Tribe’s own governing documents and procedures.
- 15Gaming and other rights
- 16- The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities based on inherent authority or under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) or related regulations.
- 17- Nothing in the Act changes or expands hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights.
- 18- ICWA protections are not diminished by the Act; section 109 of ICWA remains applicable.
- 19Historical context
- 20- The Findings section provides an extensive historical overview of the Nottoway, situating recognition within centuries of interaction with colonial and United States governments.