Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act

The Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Federal Recognition Act would formally recognize the Patawomeck as a federally acknowledged Indian tribe. It establishes a government‑to‑government relationship between the United States and the Tribe, making the Tribe and its members eligible for the full range of federal services and benefits available to federally recognized tribes. The bill also sets a designated service area (King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford Counties in Virginia) for federal services and allows the Secretary of the Interior, at the Tribe’s request, to take land into trust within those counties to establish land for the Tribe. It includes rules on membership, governing documents, and the Tribe’s leadership, and places limits on gaming and on the use of eminent domain to acquire tribal lands. The act does not alter hunting, fishing, water rights, or other preexisting rights beyond what is stated.