Tribes gain ground on U.S. recognition

A Senate committee Wednesday cleared a bill that would grant federal recognition to six Virginia tribes, taking the first step toward matching Virginia’s recognition of these tribes.

The Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2015, introduced in February by Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, recognizes the Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Monacan and Nansemond tribes of Virginia.

The six tribes, which have around 3,000 members, have been seeking recognition since the 1990s. Recognition would make them eligible for certain federal programs, including housing and health care, but would not allow them to operate casinos.

In a joint news release with Warner, Kaine said the Senate Indian Affairs Committee’s approval takes the legislation “one step closer to rectifying this grave injustice.”

“We won’t give up until the tribes receive the recognition they deserve and have fought so hard to achieve,” Kaine said.

Virginia recognizes 11 tribes, none of which are federally recognized. According to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, the federal government recognizes 566 tribal or native entities in the United States.

Warner said in the news release that recognition of these tribes was “well-earned and long overdue.”

“This is an issue I have cared about deeply since serving as Virginia governor,” Warner said, “and I will keep working with Senator Kaine and our House colleagues to get this bill passed and ensure that Virginia’s tribes finally get the federal recognition they deserve.”

With its passage out of committee, the bill will now be considered by the full Senate. Rep. Rob Wittman, R–1st District, has already introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives, which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

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