Bill > HR5144

This bill extends federal recognition to the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe of Southampton County, Virginia, after a comprehensive historical review that documents the tribe's continuous presence in Virginia since at least 1580. The bill provides federal recognition to the tribe's approximately 325 tribal citizens, making them eligible for federal services and benefits typically available to recognized Native American tribes. The legislation specifies that the tribe's existing membership roll and governing documents will be used, and that the current governing body will remain in place. While the bill grants federal recognition, it explicitly prohibits the tribe from conducting gaming activities. The Secretary of the Interior is required to take tribal lands into trust upon request, with any such lands potentially being considered part of the tribe's reservation. Importantly, the bill notes that the tribe was historically impacted by the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which complicated tribal recognition efforts by reclassifying Native Americans. The bill does not expand or reduce the tribe's existing hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights, and aims to formally acknowledge the tribe's long-standing historical and cultural presence in Virginia.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5144/all-info