Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe of Southampton County, Virginia, Federal Recognition Act

The bill would officially grant federal recognition to the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe of Southampton County, Virginia, making the tribe and its enrolled members eligible for the full range of federal services and benefits available to federally recognized tribes. It codifies governance and membership parameters tied to the tribe’s own records, and authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to place certain tribal lands into trust (and thus potentially create or expand a reservation) within Southampton County if those lands were acquired by the tribe on or before January 1, 2007. It also prohibits tribal gaming under the Act or the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and preserves existing hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights. The bill includes extensive findings about the tribe’s long history and historical ties to the region to justify recognition.