{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2017-05-17-pt1-PgH4251", "2017-05-17", 115, 1, null, null, "THOMASINA E. JORDAN INDIAN TRIBES OF VIRGINIA FEDERAL RECOGNITION ACT OF 2017", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "RECOGNIZING", "H4251", "H4259", "[{\"name\": \"Robert J. Wittman\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Darren Soto\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"A. Donald McEachin\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Gerald E. Connolly\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Robert C. \\\"Bobby\\\" Scott\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Mark Walker\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", "[{\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"984\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"984\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"984\"}]", "163 Cong. Rec. H4251", "Congressional Record, Volume 163 Issue 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]\n[House]\n[Pages H4251-H4259]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n THOMASINA E. JORDAN INDIAN TRIBES OF VIRGINIA FEDERAL RECOGNITION ACT\n OF 2017\n\n Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the\nbill (H.R. 984) to extend Federal recognition to the Chickahominy\nIndian Tribe, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern Division, the\nUpper Mattaponi Tribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, Inc., the Monacan Indian\nNation, and the Nansemond Indian Tribe.\n The Clerk read the title of the bill.\n The text of the bill is as follows:\n\n H.R. 984\n\n Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of\n the United States of America in Congress assembled,\n\n SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.\n\n (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Thomasina\n E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act\n of 2017''.\n (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act\n is as follows:\n\nSec. 1. Short title; table of contents.\nSec. 2. Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978.\n\n TITLE I--CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN TRIBE\n\nSec. 101. Findings.\nSec. 102. Definitions.\nSec. 103. Federal recognition.\nSec. 104. Membership; governing documents.\nSec. 105. Governing body.\nSec. 106. Reservation of the Tribe.\nSec. 107. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights.\n\n TITLE II--CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN TRIBE--EASTERN DIVISION\n\nSec. 201. Findings.\nSec. 202. Definitions.\nSec. 203. Federal recognition.\nSec. 204. Membership; governing documents.\nSec. 205. Governing body.\nSec. 206. Reservation of the Tribe.\nSec. 207. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights.\n\n TITLE III--UPPER MATTAPONI TRIBE\n\nSec. 301. Findings.\nSec. 302. Definitions.\nSec. 303. Federal recognition.\nSec. 304. Membership; governing documents.\nSec. 305. Governing body.\nSec. 306. Reservation of the Tribe.\nSec. 307. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights.\n\n TITLE IV--RAPPAHANNOCK TRIBE, INC.\n\nSec. 401. Findings.\nSec. 402. Definitions.\nSec. 403. Federal recognition.\nSec. 404. Membership; governing documents.\nSec. 405. Governing body.\nSec. 406. Reservation of the Tribe.\nSec. 407. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights.\n\n TITLE V--MONACAN INDIAN NATION\n\nSec. 501. Findings.\nSec. 502. Definitions.\nSec. 503. Federal recognition.\nSec. 504. Membership; governing documents.\nSec. 505. Governing body.\nSec. 506. Reservation of the Tribe.\nSec. 507. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights.\n\n TITLE VI--NANSEMOND INDIAN TRIBE\n\nSec. 601. Findings.\nSec. 602. Definitions.\nSec. 603. Federal recognition.\nSec. 604. Membership; governing documents.\nSec. 605. Governing body.\nSec. 606. Reservation of the Tribe.\nSec. 607. Hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and water rights.\n\n TITLE VII--EMINENT DOMAIN\n\nSec. 701. Limitation.\n\n SEC. 2. INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ACT OF 1978.\n\n Nothing in this Act affects the application of section 109\n of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1919).\n\n TITLE I--CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN TRIBE\n\n SEC. 101. FINDINGS.\n\n Congress finds that--\n (1) in 1607, when the English settlers set shore along the\n Virginia coastline, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe was one of\n about 30 tribes that received them;\n (2) in 1614, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe entered into a\n treaty with Sir Thomas Dale, Governor of the Jamestown\n Colony, under which--\n (A) the Chickahominy Indian Tribe agreed to provide 2\n bushels of corn per man and send warriors to protect the\n English; and\n (B) Sir Thomas Dale agreed in return to allow the Tribe to\n continue to practice its own tribal governance;\n (3) in 1646, a treaty was signed which forced the\n Chickahominy from their homeland to the area around the York\n Mattaponi River in present-day King William County, leading\n to the formation of a reservation;\n (4) in 1677, following Bacon's Rebellion, the Queen of\n Pamunkey signed the Treaty of Middle Plantation on behalf of\n the Chickahominy;\n (5) in 1702, the Chickahominy were forced from their\n reservation, which caused the loss of a land base;\n (6) in 1711, the College of William and Mary in\n Williamsburg established a grammar school for Indians called\n Brafferton College;\n (7) a Chickahominy child was one of the first Indians to\n attend Brafferton College;\n (8) in 1750, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to migrate\n from King William County back to the area around the\n Chickahominy River in New Kent and Charles City Counties;\n (9) in 1793, a Baptist missionary named Bradby took refuge\n with the Chickahominy and took a Chickahominy woman as his\n wife;\n (10) in 1831, the names of the ancestors of the modern-day\n Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to appear in the Charles City\n County census records;\n (11) in 1901, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe formed Samaria\n Baptist Church;\n (12) from 1901 to 1935, Chickahominy men were assessed a\n tribal tax so that their children could receive an education;\n (13) the Tribe used the proceeds from the tax to build the\n first Samaria Indian School, buy supplies, and pay a\n teacher's salary;\n (14) in 1919, C. Lee Moore, Auditor of Public Accounts for\n Virginia, told Chickahominy Chief O.W. Adkins that he had\n instructed the Commissioner of Revenue for Charles City\n County to record Chickahominy tribal members on the county\n tax rolls as Indian, and not as White or colored;\n (15) during the period of 1920 through 1930, various\n Governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia wrote letters of\n introduction for Chickahominy Chiefs who had official\n business with Federal agencies in Washington, DC;\n (16) in 1934, Chickahominy Chief O.O. Adkins wrote to John\n Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, requesting money to\n acquire land for the Chickahominy Indian Tribe's use, to\n build school, medical, and library facilities and to buy\n tractors, implements, and seed;\n (17) in 1934, John Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs,\n wrote to Chickahominy Chief O.O. Adkins, informing him that\n Congress had passed the Act of June 18, 1934 (commonly known\n as the ``Indian Reorganization Act'') (25 U.S.C. 461 et\n seq.), but had not made the appropriation to fund the Act;\n (18) in 1942, Chickahominy Chief O.O. Adkins wrote to John\n Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, asking for help in\n getting the proper racial designation on Selective Service\n records for Chickahominy soldiers;\n (19) in 1943, John Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs,\n asked Douglas S. Freeman, editor of the Richmond News-Leader\n newspaper of Richmond, Virginia, to help Virginia Indians\n obtain proper racial designation on birth records;\n (20) Collier stated that his office could not officially\n intervene because it had no responsibility for the Virginia\n Indians, ``as a matter largely of historical accident'', but\n was ``interested in them as descendants of the original\n inhabitants of the region'';\n (21) in 1948, the Veterans' Education Committee of the\n Virginia State Board of Education approved Samaria Indian\n School to provide training to veterans;\n (22) that school was established and run by the\n Chickahominy Indian Tribe;\n (23) in 1950, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe purchased and\n donated to the Charles City County School Board land to be\n used to build a modern school for students of the\n Chickahominy and other Virginia Indian tribes;\n (24) the Samaria Indian School included students in grades\n 1 through 8;\n (25) in 1961, Senator Sam Ervin, Chairman of the\n Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights of the Committee on the\n Judiciary of the Senate, requested Chickahominy Chief O.O.\n Adkins to provide assistance in analyzing the status of the\n constitutional rights of Indians ``in your area'';\n (26) in 1967, the Charles City County school board closed\n Samaria Indian School and converted the school to a\n countywide primary school as a step toward full school\n integration of Indian and non-Indian students;\n (27) in 1972, the Charles City County school board began\n receiving funds under the Indian Self-Determination and\n Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 458aa et seq.) on behalf\n of\n\n[[Page H4252]]\n\n Chickahominy students, which funding is provided as of the\n date of enactment of this Act under title V of the Indian\n Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.\n 458aaa et seq.);\n (28) in 1974, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe bought land and\n built a tribal center using monthly pledges from tribal\n members to finance the transactions;\n (29) in 1983, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe was granted\n recognition as an Indian tribe by the Commonwealth of\n Virginia, along with 5 other Indian tribes; and\n (30) in 1985, Governor Gerald Baliles was the special guest\n at an intertribal Thanksgiving Day dinner hosted by the\n Chickahominy Indian Tribe.\n\n SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.\n\n In this title:\n (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary\n of the Interior.\n (2) Tribal member.--The term ``tribal member'' means--\n (A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the Tribe as\n of the date of enactment of this Act; and\n (B) an individual who has been placed on the membership\n rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title.\n (3) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Chickahominy\n Indian Tribe.\n\n SEC. 103. FEDERAL RECOGNITION.\n\n (a) Federal Recognition.--\n (1) In general.--Federal recognition is extended to the\n Tribe.\n (2) Applicability of laws.--All laws (including\n regulations) of the United States of general applicability to\n Indians or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians\n (including the Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.))\n that are not inconsistent with this title shall be applicable\n to the Tribe and tribal members.\n (b) Federal Services and Benefits.--\n (1) In general.--On and after the date of enactment of this\n Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for all\n services and benefits provided by the Federal Government to\n federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the\n existence of a reservation for the Tribe.\n (2) Service area.--For the purpose of the delivery of\n Federal services to tribal members, the service area of the\n Tribe shall be considered to be the area comprised of New\n Kent County, James City County, Charles City County, and\n Henrico County, Virginia.\n\n SEC. 104. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.\n\n The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe\n shall be the most recent membership roll and governing\n documents, respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the\n Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act.\n\n SEC. 105. GOVERNING BODY.\n\n The governing body of the Tribe shall be--\n (1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the date\n of enactment of this Act; or\n (2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance\n with the election procedures specified in the governing\n documents of the Tribe.\n\n SEC. 106. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE.\n\n (a) In General.--Upon the request of the Tribe, the\n Secretary of the Interior--\n (1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe\n on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County,\n Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia; and\n (2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County,\n Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia.\n (b) Deadline for Determination.--The Secretary shall make a\n final written determination not later than three years of the\n date which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken\n into trust under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make\n that determination available to the Tribe.\n (c) Reservation Status.--Any land taken into trust for the\n benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon\n request of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation\n of the Tribe.\n (d) Gaming.--The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities as\n a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority\n of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory\n Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations\n thereunder promulgated by the Secretary or the National\n Indian Gaming Commission.\n\n SEC. 107. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER\n RIGHTS.\n\n Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any\n manner any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water\n rights of the Tribe and members of the Tribe.\n\n TITLE II--CHICKAHOMINY INDIAN TRIBE--EASTERN DIVISION\n\n SEC. 201. FINDINGS.\n\n Congress finds that--\n (1) in 1607, when the English settlers set shore along the\n Virginia coastline, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe was one of\n about 30 tribes that received them;\n (2) in 1614, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe entered into a\n treaty with Sir Thomas Dale, Governor of the Jamestown\n Colony, under which--\n (A) the Chickahominy Indian Tribe agreed to provide 2\n bushels of corn per man and send warriors to protect the\n English; and\n (B) Sir Thomas Dale agreed in return to allow the Tribe to\n continue to practice its own tribal governance;\n (3) in 1646, a treaty was signed which forced the\n Chickahominy from their homeland to the area around the York\n River in present-day King William County, leading to the\n formation of a reservation;\n (4) in 1677, following Bacon's Rebellion, the Queen of\n Pamunkey signed the Treaty of Middle Plantation on behalf of\n the Chickahominy;\n (5) in 1702, the Chickahominy were forced from their\n reservation, which caused the loss of a land base;\n (6) in 1711, the College of William and Mary in\n Williamsburg established a grammar school for Indians called\n Brafferton College;\n (7) a Chickahominy child was one of the first Indians to\n attend Brafferton College;\n (8) in 1750, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to migrate\n from King William County back to the area around the\n Chickahominy River in New Kent and Charles City Counties;\n (9) in 1793, a Baptist missionary named Bradby took refuge\n with the Chickahominy and took a Chickahominy woman as his\n wife;\n (10) in 1831, the names of the ancestors of the modern-day\n Chickahominy Indian Tribe began to appear in the Charles City\n County census records;\n (11) in 1870, a census revealed an enclave of Indians in\n New Kent County that is believed to be the beginning of the\n Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern Division;\n (12) other records were destroyed when the New Kent County\n courthouse was burned, leaving a State census as the only\n record covering that period;\n (13) in 1901, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe formed Samaria\n Baptist Church;\n (14) from 1901 to 1935, Chickahominy men were assessed a\n tribal tax so that their children could receive an education;\n (15) the Tribe used the proceeds from the tax to build the\n first Samaria Indian School, buy supplies, and pay a\n teacher's salary;\n (16) in 1910, a 1-room school covering grades 1 through 8\n was established in New Kent County for the Chickahominy\n Indian Tribe--Eastern Division;\n (17) during the period of 1920 through 1921, the\n Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern Division began forming a\n tribal government;\n (18) E.P. Bradby, the founder of the Tribe, was elected to\n be Chief;\n (19) in 1922, Tsena Commocko Baptist Church was organized;\n (20) in 1925, a certificate of incorporation was issued to\n the Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern Division;\n (21) in 1950, the 1-room Indian school in New Kent County\n was closed and students were bused to Samaria Indian School\n in Charles City County;\n (22) in 1967, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and the\n Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern Division lost their\n schools as a result of the required integration of students;\n (23) during the period of 1982 through 1984, Tsena Commocko\n Baptist Church built a new sanctuary to accommodate church\n growth;\n (24) in 1983 the Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern\n Division was granted State recognition along with 5 other\n Virginia Indian tribes;\n (25) in 1985--\n (A) the Virginia Council on Indians was organized as a\n State agency; and\n (B) the Chickahominy Indian Tribe--Eastern Division was\n granted a seat on the Council;\n (26) in 1988, a nonprofit organization known as the\n ``United Indians of Virginia'' was formed; and\n (27) Chief Marvin ``Strongoak'' Bradby of the Eastern Band\n of the Chickahominy presently chairs the organization.\n\n SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS.\n\n In this title:\n (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary\n of the Interior.\n (2) Tribal member.--The term ``tribal member'' means--\n (A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the Tribe as\n of the date of enactment of this Act; and\n (B) an individual who has been placed on the membership\n rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title.\n (3) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Chickahominy\n Indian Tribe--Eastern Division.\n\n SEC. 203. FEDERAL RECOGNITION.\n\n (a) Federal Recognition.--\n (1) In general.--Federal recognition is extended to the\n Tribe.\n (2) Applicability of laws.--All laws (including\n regulations) of the United States of general applicability to\n Indians or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians\n (including the Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.))\n that are not inconsistent with this title shall be applicable\n to the Tribe and tribal members.\n (b) Federal Services and Benefits.--\n (1) In general.--On and after the date of enactment of this\n Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for all\n future services and benefits provided by the Federal\n Government to federally recognized Indian tribes without\n regard to the existence of a reservation for the Tribe.\n (2) Service area.--For the purpose of the delivery of\n Federal services to tribal members, the service area of the\n Tribe shall be considered to be the area comprised of New\n Kent County, James City County, Charles City County, and\n Henrico County, Virginia.\n\n[[Page H4253]]\n\n SEC. 204. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.\n\n The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe\n shall be the most recent membership roll and governing\n documents, respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the\n Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act.\n\n SEC. 205. GOVERNING BODY.\n\n The governing body of the Tribe shall be--\n (1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the date\n of enactment of this Act; or\n (2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance\n with the election procedures specified in the governing\n documents of the Tribe.\n\n SEC. 206. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE.\n\n (a) In General.--Upon the request of the Tribe, the\n Secretary of the Interior--\n (1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe\n on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County,\n Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia; and\n (2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of New Kent County, James City County,\n Charles City County, or Henrico County, Virginia.\n (b) Deadline for Determination.--The Secretary shall make a\n final written determination not later than three years of the\n date which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken\n into trust under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make\n that determination available to the Tribe.\n (c) Reservation Status.--Any land taken into trust for the\n benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon\n request of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation\n of the Tribe.\n (d) Gaming.--The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities as\n a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority\n of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory\n Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations\n thereunder promulgated by the Secretary or the National\n Indian Gaming Commission.\n\n SEC. 207. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER\n RIGHTS.\n\n Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any\n manner any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water\n rights of the Tribe and members of the Tribe.\n\n TITLE III--UPPER MATTAPONI TRIBE\n\n SEC. 301. FINDINGS.\n\n Congress finds that--\n (1) during the period of 1607 through 1646, the\n Chickahominy Indian Tribes--\n (A) lived approximately 20 miles from Jamestown; and\n (B) were significantly involved in English-Indian affairs;\n (2) Mattaponi Indians, who later joined the Chickahominy\n Indians, lived a greater distance from Jamestown;\n (3) in 1646, the Chickahominy Indians moved to Mattaponi\n River basin, away from the English;\n (4) in 1661, the Chickahominy Indians sold land at a place\n known as ``the cliffs'' on the Mattaponi River;\n (5) in 1669, the Chickahominy Indians--\n (A) appeared in the Virginia Colony's census of Indian\n bowmen; and\n (B) lived in ``New Kent'' County, which included the\n Mattaponi River basin at that time;\n (6) in 1677, the Chickahominy and Mattaponi Indians were\n subjects of the Queen of Pamunkey, who was a signatory to the\n Treaty of 1677 with the King of England;\n (7) in 1683, after a Mattaponi town was attacked by Seneca\n Indians, the Mattaponi Indians took refuge with the\n Chickahominy Indians, and the history of the 2 groups was\n intertwined for many years thereafter;\n (8) in 1695, the Chickahominy and Mattaponi Indians--\n (A) were assigned a reservation by the Virginia Colony; and\n (B) traded land of the reservation for land at the place\n known as ``the cliffs'' (which, as of the date of enactment\n of this Act, is the Mattaponi Indian Reservation), which had\n been owned by the Mattaponi Indians before 1661;\n (9) in 1711, a Chickahominy boy attended the Indian School\n at the College of William and Mary;\n (10) in 1726, the Virginia Colony discontinued funding of\n interpreters for the Chickahominy and Mattaponi Indian\n Tribes;\n (11) James Adams, who served as an interpreter to the\n Indian tribes known as of the date of enactment of this Act\n as the ``Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe'' and ``Chickahominy\n Indian Tribe'', elected to stay with the Upper Mattaponi\n Indians;\n (12) today, a majority of the Upper Mattaponi Indians have\n ``Adams'' as their surname;\n (13) in 1787, Thomas Jefferson, in Notes on the\n Commonwealth of Virginia, mentioned the Mattaponi Indians on\n a reservation in King William County and said that\n Chickahominy Indians were ``blended'' with the Mattaponi\n Indians and nearby Pamunkey Indians;\n (14) in 1850, the census of the United States revealed a\n nucleus of approximately 10 families, all ancestral to modern\n Upper Mattaponi Indians, living in central King William\n County, Virginia, approximately 10 miles from the\n reservation;\n (15) during the period of 1853 through 1884, King William\n County marriage records listed Upper Mattaponis as\n ``Indians'' in marrying people residing on the reservation;\n (16) during the period of 1884 through the present, county\n marriage records usually refer to Upper Mattaponis as\n ``Indians'';\n (17) in 1901, Smithsonian anthropologist James Mooney heard\n about the Upper Mattaponi Indians but did not visit them;\n (18) in 1928, University of Pennsylvania anthropologist\n Frank Speck published a book on modern Virginia Indians with\n a section on the Upper Mattaponis;\n (19) from 1929 until 1930, the leadership of the Upper\n Mattaponi Indians opposed the use of a ``colored''\n designation in the 1930 United States census and won a\n compromise in which the Indian ancestry of the Upper\n Mattaponis was recorded but questioned;\n (20) during the period of 1942 through 1945--\n (A) the leadership of the Upper Mattaponi Indians, with the\n help of Frank Speck and others, fought against the induction\n of young men of the Tribe into ``colored'' units in the Armed\n Forces of the United States; and\n (B) a tribal roll for the Upper Mattaponi Indians was\n compiled;\n (21) from 1945 to 1946, negotiations took place to admit\n some of the young people of the Upper Mattaponi to high\n schools for Federal Indians (especially at Cherokee) because\n no high school coursework was available for Indians in\n Virginia schools; and\n (22) in 1983, the Upper Mattaponi Indians applied for and\n won State recognition as an Indian tribe.\n\n SEC. 302. DEFINITIONS.\n\n In this title:\n (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary\n of the Interior.\n (2) Tribal member.--The term ``tribal member'' means--\n (A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the Tribe as\n of the date of enactment of this Act; and\n (B) an individual who has been placed on the membership\n rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title.\n (3) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Upper Mattaponi\n Tribe.\n\n SEC. 303. FEDERAL RECOGNITION.\n\n (a) Federal Recognition.--\n (1) In general.--Federal recognition is extended to the\n Tribe.\n (2) Applicability of laws.--All laws (including\n regulations) of the United States of general applicability to\n Indians or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians\n (including the Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.))\n that are not inconsistent with this title shall be applicable\n to the Tribe and tribal members.\n (b) Federal Services and Benefits.--\n (1) In general.--On and after the date of enactment of this\n Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for all\n services and benefits provided by the Federal Government to\n federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the\n existence of a reservation for the Tribe.\n (2) Service area.--For the purpose of the delivery of\n Federal services to tribal members, the service area of the\n Tribe shall be considered to be the area within 25 miles of\n the Sharon Indian School at 13383 King William Road, King\n William County, Virginia.\n\n SEC. 304. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.\n\n The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe\n shall be the most recent membership roll and governing\n documents, respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the\n Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act.\n\n SEC. 305. GOVERNING BODY.\n\n The governing body of the Tribe shall be--\n (1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the date\n of enactment of this Act; or\n (2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance\n with the election procedures specified in the governing\n documents of the Tribe.\n\n SEC. 306. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE.\n\n (a) In General.--Upon the request of the Tribe, the\n Secretary of the Interior--\n (1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe\n on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of King William County, Caroline\n County, Hanover County, King and Queen County, and New Kent\n County, Virginia; and\n (2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of King William County, Caroline\n County, Hanover County, King and Queen County, and New Kent\n County, Virginia.\n (b) Deadline for Determination.--The Secretary shall make a\n final written determination not later than three years of the\n date which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken\n into trust under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make\n that determination available to the Tribe.\n (c) Reservation Status.--Any land taken into trust for the\n benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon\n request of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation\n of the Tribe.\n (d) Gaming.--The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities as\n a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority\n of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory\n Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations\n thereunder promulgated by the Secretary or the National\n Indian Gaming Commission.\n\n SEC. 307. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER\n RIGHTS.\n\n Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any\n manner any hunting, fishing,\n\n[[Page H4254]]\n\n trapping, gathering, or water rights of the Tribe and members\n of the Tribe.\n\n TITLE IV--RAPPAHANNOCK TRIBE, INC.\n\n SEC. 401. FINDINGS.\n\n Congress finds that--\n (1) during the initial months after Virginia was settled,\n the Rappahannock Indians had 3 encounters with Captain John\n Smith;\n (2) the first encounter occurred when the Rappahannock\n weroance (headman)--\n (A) traveled to Quiyocohannock (a principal town across the\n James River from Jamestown), where he met with Smith to\n determine whether Smith had been the ``great man'' who had\n previously sailed into the Rappahannock River, killed a\n Rappahannock weroance, and kidnapped Rappahannock people; and\n (B) determined that Smith was too short to be that ``great\n man'';\n (3) on a second meeting, during John Smith's captivity\n (December 16, 1607, to January 8, 1608), Smith was taken to\n the Rappahannock principal village to show the people that\n Smith was not the ``great man'';\n (4) a third meeting took place during Smith's exploration\n of the Chesapeake Bay (July to September 1608), when, after\n the Moraughtacund Indians had stolen 3 women from the\n Rappahannock King, Smith was prevailed upon to facilitate a\n peaceful truce between the Rappahannock and the Moraughtacund\n Indians;\n (5) in the settlement, Smith had the 2 Indian tribes meet\n on the spot of their first fight;\n (6) when it was established that both groups wanted peace,\n Smith told the Rappahannock King to select which of the 3\n stolen women he wanted;\n (7) the Moraughtacund King was given second choice among\n the 2 remaining women, and Mosco, a Wighcocomoco (on the\n Potomac River) guide, was given the third woman;\n (8) in 1645, Captain William Claiborne tried unsuccessfully\n to establish treaty relations with the Rappahannocks, as the\n Rappahannocks had not participated in the Pamunkey-led\n uprising in 1644, and the English wanted to ``treat with the\n Rappahannocks or any other Indians not in amity with\n Opechancanough, concerning serving the county against the\n Pamunkeys'';\n (9) in April 1651, the Rappahannocks conveyed a tract of\n land to an English settler, Colonel Morre Fauntleroy;\n (10) the deed for the conveyance was signed by Accopatough,\n weroance of the Rappahannock Indians;\n (11) in September 1653, Lancaster County signed a treaty\n with Rappahannock Indians, the terms of which treaty--\n (A) gave Rappahannocks the rights of Englishmen in the\n county court; and\n (B) attempted to make the Rappahannocks more accountable\n under English law;\n (12) in September 1653, Lancaster County defined and marked\n the bounds of its Indian settlements;\n (13) according to the Lancaster clerk of court, ``the tribe\n called the great Rappahannocks lived on the Rappahannock\n Creek just across the river above Tappahannock'';\n (14) in September 1656, (Old) Rappahannock County (which,\n as of the date of enactment of this Act, is comprised of\n Richmond and Essex Counties, Virginia) signed a treaty with\n Rappahannock Indians that--\n (A) mirrored the Lancaster County treaty from 1653; and\n (B) stated that--\n (i) Rappahannocks were to be rewarded, in Roanoke, for\n returning English fugitives; and\n (ii) the English encouraged the Rappahannocks to send their\n children to live among the English as servants, who the\n English promised would be well-treated;\n (15) in 1658, the Virginia Assembly revised a 1652 Act\n stating that ``there be no grants of land to any Englishman\n whatsoever de futuro until the Indians be first served with\n the proportion of 50 acres of land for each bowman'';\n (16) in 1669, the colony conducted a census of Virginia\n Indians;\n (17) as of the date of that census--\n (A) the majority of the Rappahannocks were residing at\n their hunting village on the north side of the Mattaponi\n River; and\n (B) at the time of the visit, census-takers were counting\n only the Indian tribes along the rivers, which explains why\n only 30 Rappahannock bowmen were counted on that river;\n (18) the Rappahannocks used the hunting village on the\n north side of the Mattaponi River as their primary residence\n until the Rappahannocks were removed in 1684;\n (19) in May 1677, the Treaty of Middle Plantation was\n signed with England;\n (20) the Pamunkey Queen Cockacoeske signed on behalf of the\n Rappahannocks, ``who were supposed to be her tributaries'',\n but before the treaty could be ratified, the Queen of\n Pamunkey complained to the Virginia Colonial Council ``that\n she was having trouble with Rappahannocks and Chickahominies,\n supposedly tributaries of hers'';\n (21) in November 1682, the Virginia Colonial Council\n established a reservation for the Rappahannock Indians of\n 3,474 acres ``about the town where they dwelt'';\n (22) the Rappahannock ``town'' was the hunting village on\n the north side of the Mattaponi River, where the\n Rappahannocks had lived throughout the 1670s;\n (23) the acreage allotment of the reservation was based on\n the 1658 Indian land act, which translates into a bowman\n population of 70, or an approximate total Rappahannock\n population of 350;\n (24) in 1683, following raids by Iroquoian warriors on both\n Indian and English settlements, the Virginia Colonial Council\n ordered the Rappahannocks to leave their reservation and\n unite with the Nanzatico Indians at Nanzatico Indian Town,\n which was located across and up the Rappahannock River some\n 30 miles;\n (25) between 1687 and 1699, the Rappahannocks migrated out\n of Nanzatico, returning to the south side of the Rappahannock\n River at Portobacco Indian Town;\n (26) in 1706, by order of Essex County, Lieutenant Richard\n Covington ``escorted'' the Portobaccos and Rappahannocks out\n of Portobacco Indian Town, out of Essex County, and into King\n and Queen County where they settled along the ridgeline\n between the Rappahannock and Mattaponi Rivers, the site of\n their ancient hunting village and 1682 reservation;\n (27) during the 1760s, 3 Rappahannock girls were raised on\n Thomas Nelson's Bleak Hill Plantation in King William County;\n (28) of those girls--\n (A) one married a Saunders man;\n (B) one married a Johnson man; and\n (C) one had 2 children, Edmund and Carter Nelson, fathered\n by Thomas Cary Nelson;\n (29) in the 19th century, those Saunders, Johnson, and\n Nelson families are among the core Rappahannock families from\n which the modern Tribe traces its descent;\n (30) in 1819 and 1820, Edward Bird, John Bird (and his\n wife), Carter Nelson, Edmund Nelson, and Carter Spurlock (all\n Rappahannock ancestors) were listed on the tax roles of King\n and Queen County and taxed at the county poor rate;\n (31) Edmund Bird was added to the tax roles in 1821;\n (32) those tax records are significant documentation\n because the great majority of pre-1864 records for King and\n Queen County were destroyed by fire;\n (33) beginning in 1819, and continuing through the 1880s,\n there was a solid Rappahannock presence in the membership at\n Upper Essex Baptist Church;\n (34) that was the first instance of conversion to\n Christianity by at least some Rappahannock Indians;\n (35) while twenty-six identifiable and traceable\n Rappahannock surnames appear on the pre-1863 membership list,\n and twenty-eight were listed on the 1863 membership roster,\n the number of surnames listed had declined to twelve in 1878\n and had risen only slightly to fourteen by 1888;\n (36) a reason for the decline is that in 1870, a Methodist\n circuit rider, Joseph Mastin, secured funds to purchase land\n and construct St. Stephens Baptist Church for the\n Rappahannocks living nearby in Caroline County;\n (37) Mastin referred to the Rappahannocks during the period\n of 1850 to 1870 as ``Indians, having a great need for moral\n and Christian guidance'';\n (38) St. Stephens was the dominant tribal church until the\n Rappahannock Indian Baptist Church was established in 1964;\n (39) at both churches, the core Rappahannock family names\n of Bird, Clarke, Fortune, Johnson, Nelson, Parker, and\n Richardson predominate;\n (40) during the early 1900s, James Mooney, noted\n anthropologist, maintained correspondence with the\n Rappahannocks, surveying them and instructing them on how to\n formalize their tribal government;\n (41) in November 1920, Speck visited the Rappahannocks and\n assisted them in organizing the fight for their sovereign\n rights;\n (42) in 1921, the Rappahannocks were granted a charter from\n the Commonwealth of Virginia formalizing their tribal\n government;\n (43) Speck began a professional relationship with the Tribe\n that would last more than 30 years and document Rappahannock\n history and traditions as never before;\n (44) in April 1921, Rappahannock Chief George Nelson asked\n the Governor of Virginia, Westmoreland Davis, to forward a\n proclamation to the President of the United States, along\n with an appended list of tribal members and a handwritten\n copy of the proclamation itself;\n (45) the letter concerned Indian freedom of speech and\n assembly nationwide;\n (46) in 1922, the Rappahannocks established a formal school\n at Lloyds, Essex County, Virginia;\n (47) prior to establishment of the school, Rappahannock\n children were taught by a tribal member in Central Point,\n Caroline County, Virginia;\n (48) in December 1923, Rappahannock Chief George Nelson\n testified before Congress appealing for a $50,000\n appropriation to establish an Indian school in Virginia;\n (49) in 1930, the Rappahannocks were engaged in an ongoing\n dispute with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United\n States Census Bureau about their classification in the 1930\n Federal census;\n (50) in January 1930, Rappahannock Chief Otho S. Nelson\n wrote to Leon Truesdell, Chief Statistician of the United\n States Census Bureau, asking that the 218 enrolled\n Rappahannocks be listed as Indians;\n (51) in February 1930, Truesdell replied to Nelson saying\n that ``special instructions'' were being given about\n classifying Indians;\n (52) in April 1930, Nelson wrote to William M. Steuart at\n the Census Bureau asking about the enumerators' failure to\n classify his\n\n[[Page H4255]]\n\n people as Indians, saying that enumerators had not asked the\n question about race when they interviewed his people;\n (53) in a followup letter to Truesdell, Nelson reported\n that the enumerators were ``flatly denying'' his people's\n request to be listed as Indians and that the race question\n was completely avoided during interviews;\n (54) the Rappahannocks had spoken with Caroline and Essex\n County enumerators, and with John M.W. Green at that point,\n without success;\n (55) Nelson asked Truesdell to list people as Indians if he\n sent a list of members;\n (56) the matter was settled by William Steuart, who\n concluded that the Bureau's rule was that people of Indian\n descent could be classified as ``Indian'' only if Indian\n ``blood'' predominated and ``Indian'' identity was accepted\n in the local community;\n (57) the Virginia Vital Statistics Bureau classed all\n nonreservation Indians as ``Negro'', and it failed to see why\n ``an exception should be made'' for the Rappahannocks;\n (58) therefore, in 1925, the Indian Rights Association took\n on the Rappahannock case to assist the Rappahannocks in\n fighting for their recognition and rights as an Indian tribe;\n (59) during the Second World War, the Pamunkeys,\n Mattaponis, Chickahominies, and Rappahannocks had to fight\n the draft boards with respect to their racial identities;\n (60) the Virginia Vital Statistics Bureau insisted that\n certain Indian draftees be inducted into Negro units;\n (61) finally, 3 Rappahannocks were convicted of violating\n the Federal draft laws and, after spending time in a Federal\n prison, were granted conscientious objector status and served\n out the remainder of the war working in military hospitals;\n (62) in 1943, Frank Speck noted that there were\n approximately 25 communities of Indians left in the Eastern\n United States that were entitled to Indian classification,\n including the Rappahannocks;\n (63) in the 1940s, Leon Truesdell, Chief Statistician, of\n the United States Census Bureau, listed 118 members in the\n Rappahannock Tribe in the Indian population of Virginia;\n (64) on April 25, 1940, the Office of Indian Affairs of the\n Department of the Interior included the Rappahannocks on a\n list of Indian tribes classified by State and by agency;\n (65) in 1948, the Smithsonian Institution Annual Report\n included an article by William Harlen Gilbert entitled,\n ``Surviving Indian Groups of the Eastern United States'',\n which included and described the Rappahannock Tribe;\n (66) in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Rappahannocks\n operated a school at Indian Neck;\n (67) the State agreed to pay a tribal teacher to teach 10\n students bused by King and Queen County to Sharon Indian\n School in King William County, Virginia;\n (68) in 1965, Rappahannock students entered Marriott High\n School (a White public school) by Executive order of the\n Governor of Virginia;\n (69) in 1972, the Rappahannocks worked with the Coalition\n of Eastern Native Americans to fight for Federal recognition;\n (70) in 1979, the Coalition established a pottery and\n artisans company, operating with other Virginia tribes;\n (71) in 1980, the Rappahannocks received funding through\n the Administration for Native Americans of the Department of\n Health and Human Services to develop an economic program for\n the Tribe; and\n (72) in 1983, the Rappahannocks received State recognition\n as an Indian tribe.\n\n SEC. 402. DEFINITIONS.\n\n In this title:\n (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary\n of the Interior.\n (2) Tribal member.--The term ``tribal member'' means--\n (A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the Tribe as\n of the date of enactment of this Act; and\n (B) an individual who has been placed on the membership\n rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title.\n (3) Tribe.--\n (A) In general.--The term ``Tribe'' means the organization\n possessing the legal name Rappahannock Tribe, Inc.\n (B) Exclusions.--The term ``Tribe'' does not include any\n other Indian tribe, subtribe, band, or splinter group the\n members of which represent themselves as Rappahannock\n Indians.\n\n SEC. 403. FEDERAL RECOGNITION.\n\n (a) Federal Recognition.--\n (1) In general.--Federal recognition is extended to the\n Tribe.\n (2) Applicability of laws.--All laws (including\n regulations) of the United States of general applicability to\n Indians or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians\n (including the Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.))\n that are not inconsistent with this title shall be applicable\n to the Tribe and tribal members.\n (b) Federal Services and Benefits.--\n (1) In general.--On and after the date of enactment of this\n Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for all\n services and benefits provided by the Federal Government to\n federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the\n existence of a reservation for the Tribe.\n (2) Service area.--For the purpose of the delivery of\n Federal services to tribal members, the service area of the\n Tribe shall be considered to be the area comprised of King\n and Queen County, Caroline County, Essex County, and King\n William County, Virginia.\n\n SEC. 404. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.\n\n The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe\n shall be the most recent membership roll and governing\n documents, respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the\n Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act.\n\n SEC. 405. GOVERNING BODY.\n\n The governing body of the Tribe shall be--\n (1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the date\n of enactment of this Act; or\n (2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance\n with the election procedures specified in the governing\n documents of the Tribe.\n\n SEC. 406. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE.\n\n (a) In General.--Upon the request of the Tribe, the\n Secretary of the Interior--\n (1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe\n on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of King and Queen County, Stafford\n County, Spotsylvania County, Richmond County, Essex County,\n and Caroline County, Virginia; and\n (2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of King and Queen County, Richmond\n County, Lancaster County, King George County, Essex County,\n Caroline County, New Kent County, King William County, and\n James City County, Virginia.\n (b) Deadline for Determination.--The Secretary shall make a\n final written determination not later than three years of the\n date which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken\n into trust under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make\n that determination available to the Tribe.\n (c) Reservation Status.--Any land taken into trust for the\n benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon\n request of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation\n of the Tribe.\n (d) Gaming.--The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities as\n a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority\n of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory\n Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations\n thereunder promulgated by the Secretary or the National\n Indian Gaming Commission.\n\n SEC. 407. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER\n RIGHTS.\n\n Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any\n manner any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water\n rights of the Tribe and members of the Tribe.\n\n TITLE V--MONACAN INDIAN NATION\n\n SEC. 501. FINDINGS.\n\n Congress finds that--\n (1) in 1677, the Monacan Tribe signed the Treaty of Middle\n Plantation between Charles II of England and 12 Indian\n ``Kings and Chief Men'';\n (2) in 1722, in the Treaty of Albany, Governor Spotswood\n negotiated to save the Virginia Indians from extinction at\n the hands of the Iroquois;\n (3) specifically mentioned in the negotiations were the\n Monacan tribes of the Totero (Tutelo), Saponi, Ocheneeches\n (Occaneechi), Stengenocks, and Meipontskys;\n (4) in 1790, the first national census recorded Benjamin\n Evans and Robert Johns, both ancestors of the present Monacan\n community, listed as ``white'' with mulatto children;\n (5) in 1782, tax records also began for those families;\n (6) in 1850, the United States census recorded 29 families,\n mostly large, with Monacan surnames, the members of which are\n genealogically related to the present community;\n (7) in 1870, a log structure was built at the Bear Mountain\n Indian Mission;\n (8) in 1908, the structure became an Episcopal Mission and,\n as of the date of enactment of this Act, the structure is\n listed as a landmark on the National Register of Historic\n Places;\n (9) in 1920, 304 Amherst Indians were identified in the\n United States census;\n (10) from 1930 through 1931, numerous letters from Monacans\n to the Bureau of the Census resulted from the decision of Dr.\n Walter Plecker, former head of the Bureau of Vital Statistics\n of the Commonwealth of Virginia, not to allow Indians to\n register as Indians for the 1930 census;\n (11) the Monacans eventually succeeded in being allowed to\n claim their race, albeit with an asterisk attached to a note\n from Dr. Plecker stating that there were no Indians in\n Virginia;\n (12) in 1947, D'Arcy McNickle, a Salish Indian, saw some of\n the children at the Amherst Mission and requested that the\n Cherokee Agency visit them because they appeared to be\n Indian;\n (13) that letter was forwarded to the Department of the\n Interior, Office of Indian Affairs, Chicago, Illinois;\n (14) Chief Jarrett Blythe of the Eastern Band of Cherokee\n did visit the Mission and wrote that he ``would be willing to\n accept these children in the Cherokee school'';\n (15) in 1979, a Federal Coalition of Eastern Native\n Americans established the entity known as ``Monacan Co-\n operative Pottery'' at the Amherst Mission;\n (16) some important pieces were produced at Monacan Co-\n operative Pottery, including\n\n[[Page H4256]]\n\n a piece that was sold to the Smithsonian Institution;\n (17) the Mattaponi-Pamunkey-Monacan Consortium, established\n in 1981, has since been organized as a nonprofit corporation\n that serves as a vehicle to obtain funds for those Indian\n tribes from the Department of Labor under Native American\n programs;\n (18) in 1989, the Monacan Tribe was recognized by the\n Commonwealth of Virginia, which enabled the Tribe to apply\n for grants and participate in other programs; and\n (19) in 1993, the Monacan Tribe received tax-exempt status\n as a nonprofit corporation from the Internal Revenue Service.\n\n SEC. 502. DEFINITIONS.\n\n In this title:\n (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary\n of the Interior.\n (2) Tribal member.--The term ``tribal member'' means--\n (A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the Tribe as\n of the date of enactment of this Act; and\n (B) an individual who has been placed on the membership\n rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title.\n (3) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Monacan Indian\n Nation.\n\n SEC. 503. FEDERAL RECOGNITION.\n\n (a) Federal Recognition.--\n (1) In general.--Federal recognition is extended to the\n Tribe.\n (2) Applicability of laws.--All laws (including\n regulations) of the United States of general applicability to\n Indians or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians\n (including the Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.))\n that are not inconsistent with this title shall be applicable\n to the Tribe and tribal members.\n (b) Federal Services and Benefits.--\n (1) In general.--On and after the date of enactment of this\n Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for all\n services and benefits provided by the Federal Government to\n federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the\n existence of a reservation for the Tribe.\n (2) Service area.--For the purpose of the delivery of\n Federal services to tribal members, the service area of the\n Tribe shall be considered to be the area comprised of all\n land within 25 miles from the center of Amherst, Virginia.\n\n SEC. 504. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.\n\n The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe\n shall be the most recent membership roll and governing\n documents, respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the\n Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act.\n\n SEC. 505. GOVERNING BODY.\n\n The governing body of the Tribe shall be--\n (1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the date\n of enactment of this Act; or\n (2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance\n with the election procedures specified in the governing\n documents of the Tribe.\n\n SEC. 506. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE.\n\n (a) In General.--Upon the request of the Tribe, the\n Secretary of the Interior--\n (1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe\n on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of Amherst County, Virginia; and\n (2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of Amherst County, Virginia, and those\n parcels in Rockbridge County, Virginia (subject to the\n consent of the local unit of government), owned by Mr. J.\n Poole, described as East 731 Sandbridge (encompassing\n approximately 4.74 acres) and East 731 (encompassing\n approximately 5.12 acres).\n (b) Deadline for Determination.--The Secretary shall make a\n final written determination not later than three years of the\n date which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken\n into trust under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make\n that determination available to the Tribe.\n (c) Reservation Status.--Any land taken into trust for the\n benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon\n request of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation\n of the Tribe.\n (d) Gaming.--The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities as\n a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority\n of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory\n Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations\n thereunder promulgated by the Secretary or the National\n Indian Gaming Commission.\n\n SEC. 507. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER\n RIGHTS.\n\n Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any\n manner any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water\n rights of the Tribe and members of the Tribe.\n\n TITLE VI--NANSEMOND INDIAN TRIBE\n\n SEC. 601. FINDINGS.\n\n Congress finds that--\n (1) from 1607 until 1646, Nansemond Indians--\n (A) lived approximately 30 miles from Jamestown; and\n (B) were significantly involved in English-Indian affairs;\n (2) after 1646, there were 2 sections of Nansemonds in\n communication with each other, the Christianized Nansemonds\n in Norfolk County, who lived as citizens, and the\n traditionalist Nansemonds, who lived further west;\n (3) in 1638, according to an entry in a 17th century sermon\n book still owned by the Chief's family, a Norfolk County\n Englishman married a Nansemond woman;\n (4) that man and woman are lineal ancestors of all of\n members of the Nansemond Indian tribe alive as of the date of\n enactment of this Act, as are some of the traditionalist\n Nansemonds;\n (5) in 1669, the 2 Nansemond sections appeared in Virginia\n Colony's census of Indian bowmen;\n (6) in 1677, Nansemond Indians were signatories to the\n Treaty of 1677 with the King of England;\n (7) in 1700 and 1704, the Nansemonds and other Virginia\n Indian tribes were prevented by Virginia Colony from making a\n separate peace with the Iroquois;\n (8) Virginia represented those Indian tribes in the final\n Treaty of Albany, 1722;\n (9) in 1711, a Nansemond boy attended the Indian School at\n the College of William and Mary;\n (10) in 1727, Norfolk County granted William Bass and his\n kinsmen the ``Indian privileges'' of clearing swamp land and\n bearing arms (which privileges were forbidden to other non-\n Whites) because of their Nansemond ancestry, which meant that\n Bass and his kinsmen were original inhabitants of that land;\n (11) in 1742, Norfolk County issued a certificate of\n Nansemond descent to William Bass;\n (12) from the 1740s to the 1790s, the traditionalist\n section of the Nansemond tribe, 40 miles west of the\n Christianized Nansemonds, was dealing with reservation land;\n (13) the last surviving members of that section sold out in\n 1792 with the permission of the Commonwealth of Virginia;\n (14) in 1797, Norfolk County issued a certificate stating\n that William Bass was of Indian and English descent, and that\n his Indian line of ancestry ran directly back to the early\n 18th century elder in a traditionalist section of Nansemonds\n on the reservation;\n (15) in 1833, Virginia enacted a law enabling people of\n European and Indian descent to obtain a special certificate\n of ancestry;\n (16) the law originated from the county in which Nansemonds\n lived, and mostly Nansemonds, with a few people from other\n counties, took advantage of the new law;\n (17) a Methodist mission established around 1850 for\n Nansemonds is currently a standard Methodist congregation\n with Nansemond members;\n (18) in 1901, Smithsonian anthropologist James Mooney--\n (A) visited the Nansemonds; and\n (B) completed a tribal census that counted 61 households\n and was later published;\n (19) in 1922, Nansemonds were given a special Indian school\n in the segregated school system of Norfolk County;\n (20) the school survived only a few years;\n (21) in 1928, University of Pennsylvania anthropologist\n Frank Speck published a book on modern Virginia Indians that\n included a section on the Nansemonds; and\n (22) the Nansemonds were organized formally, with elected\n officers, in 1984, and later applied for and received State\n recognition.\n\n SEC. 602. DEFINITIONS.\n\n In this title:\n (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary\n of the Interior.\n (2) Tribal member.--The term ``tribal member'' means--\n (A) an individual who is an enrolled member of the Tribe as\n of the date of enactment of this Act; and\n (B) an individual who has been placed on the membership\n rolls of the Tribe in accordance with this title.\n (3) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Nansemond Indian\n Tribe.\n\n SEC. 603. FEDERAL RECOGNITION.\n\n (a) Federal Recognition.--\n (1) In general.--Federal recognition is extended to the\n Tribe.\n (2) Applicability of laws.--All laws (including\n regulations) of the United States of general applicability to\n Indians or nations, Indian tribes, or bands of Indians\n (including the Act of June 18, 1934 (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.))\n that are not inconsistent with this title shall be applicable\n to the Tribe and tribal members.\n (b) Federal Services and Benefits.--\n (1) In general.--On and after the date of enactment of this\n Act, the Tribe and tribal members shall be eligible for all\n services and benefits provided by the Federal Government to\n federally recognized Indian tribes without regard to the\n existence of a reservation for the Tribe.\n (2) Service area.--For the purpose of the delivery of\n Federal services to tribal members, the service area of the\n Tribe shall be considered to be the area comprised of the\n cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk,\n Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach, Virginia.\n\n SEC. 604. MEMBERSHIP; GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.\n\n The membership roll and governing documents of the Tribe\n shall be the most recent membership roll and governing\n documents, respectively, submitted by the Tribe to the\n Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act.\n\n SEC. 605. GOVERNING BODY.\n\n The governing body of the Tribe shall be--\n (1) the governing body of the Tribe in place as of the date\n of enactment of this Act; or\n (2) any subsequent governing body elected in accordance\n with the election procedures specified in the governing\n documents of the Tribe.\n\n[[Page H4257]]\n\n SEC. 606. RESERVATION OF THE TRIBE.\n\n (a) In General.--Upon the request of the Tribe, the\n Secretary of the Interior--\n (1) shall take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe that was acquired by the Tribe\n on or before January 1, 2007, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of the city of Suffolk, the city of\n Chesapeake, or Isle of Wight County, Virginia; and\n (2) may take into trust for the benefit of the Tribe any\n land held in fee by the Tribe, if such lands are located\n within the boundaries of the city of Suffolk, the city of\n Chesapeake, or Isle of Wight County, Virginia.\n (b) Deadline for Determination.--The Secretary shall make a\n final written determination not later than three years of the\n date which the Tribe submits a request for land to be taken\n into trust under subsection (a)(2) and shall immediately make\n that determination available to the Tribe.\n (c) Reservation Status.--Any land taken into trust for the\n benefit of the Tribe pursuant to this paragraph shall, upon\n request of the Tribe, be considered part of the reservation\n of the Tribe.\n (d) Gaming.--The Tribe may not conduct gaming activities as\n a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority\n of any Federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory\n Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) or under any regulations\n thereunder promulgated by the Secretary or the National\n Indian Gaming Commission.\n\n SEC. 607. HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, GATHERING, AND WATER\n RIGHTS.\n\n Nothing in this title expands, reduces, or affects in any\n manner any hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water\n rights of the Tribe and members of the Tribe.\n\n TITLE VII--EMINENT DOMAIN\n\n SEC. 701. LIMITATION.\n\n Eminent domain may not be used to acquire lands in fee or\n in trust for an Indian tribe recognized under this Act.\n\n The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from\nVirginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto) each\nwill control 20 minutes.\n The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.\n\n General Leave\n\n Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members\nmay have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and\ninclude extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.\n The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the\ngentleman from Virginia?\n There was no objection.\n Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.\n H.R. 984, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal\nRecognition Act of 2017 will extend Federal recognition to the\nChickahominy Tribe, the Eastern Chickahominy Tribe, the Upper Mattaponi\nTribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, the Monacan Indian Nation, and the\nNansemond Indian Tribe.\n My district, the First Congressional District of Virginia, includes\nthe historical tribal areas of several of these tribes. The six tribes\nare culturally and historically significant to the Commonwealth of\nVirginia and to the story of America itself. Ancestors from these\ntribes populated coastal Virginia when Captain John Smith settled at\nJamestown in 1607. They were also the first of the American Indian\ntribes that entered into peace agreements, actually entered into peace\nagreements with the Crown of England because United States, at that\ntime, was not formally a nation yet. So they were peace-loving even\nbefore the United States came of age.\n Also, the connections that these tribes have with the Nation and the\nsettlement of the Nation are extraordinarily important. If you go back\nin time, you know that six of these tribes were part of the Powhatan\nNation. We know famously that Pocahontas was a member of the Powhatan\nNation, and also there in Werowocomoco, there on the shores of the York\nRiver, saved the life of Captain John Smith; so we can see the\nsignificant impact that these tribes have had on the Nation's history\nand where we are today.\n They are called first-contact tribes because they were the first\ntribes to contact the settlers as they came here to America to settle\nour land. In Jamestown there, the first connection they had was with\nthese Virginia tribes. These first-contact tribes, as I have said, are\nintertwined with the birth of our Nation over 400 years ago, and they\ncontinue today to preserve a culture and heritage integral to Virginia\nand to the Nation. They are very proud of their history, and the tribal\nmembers today do much for our State in many different ways, as well as\nfor our Nation, and are passionate about making sure that they are\nrecognized, as other tribes are, in their critical nature to the\ngovernment and Nation that we have today.\n It is notable that many tribal members have also served our country\nbravely as part of the United States military. It is unacceptable that\nthese tribal members, who selflessly and proudly served under the\nAmerican flag during our Nation's conflicts, from the Revolutionary War\nto the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have not been officially\nrecognized by the Federal Government.\n Congressional recognition is also necessary because the record\nrequirements by the Bureau of Indian Affairs administration process\nunfairly penalizes these Virginia tribes. Tribal records of these\ntribes were destroyed during the Civil War when many eastern Virginia\ncourthouses were destroyed. Additionally, early 20th century Virginia\nracial purity laws barred Native Americans from identifying as Indian\non State-issued birth certificates.\n It is for these reasons that I am proud to have worked along with\nseveral of my Virginia colleagues in the House and the Senate to\nintroduce this legislation that has received wide bipartisan support,\nincluding from former and current Virginia Governors who strongly\nsupported this effort to recognize these tribes.\n During the 114th Congress, the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and\nAlaska Native Affairs held a hearing on Virginia tribal recognition.\nMost recently, the committee marked up and reported the Virginia tribal\nrecognition as part of Chairman Bishop's Tribal Recognition Act in\nDecember. During the legislative hearing, the previous administration's\nAssistant Secretary for Indian Affairs testified that they did not\nobject to action by Congress to enact the bill, given Congress'\nauthority under the Constitution to recognize tribes. At the hearing,\nmembers of the committee also expressed bipartisan support for\nrecognizing these six first-contact Virginia tribes.\n Additionally, this legislation previously passed the House in both\nthe 110th and the 111th Congress. It is clear that there is wide\nbipartisan support for this issue across the Commonwealth, across our\nNation, and here in Congress.\n Federal recognition would acknowledge and protect historical and\ncultural identities of these tribes for the benefit of all Americans.\nIt would affirm the government-to-government relationship between the\nUnited States and these first-contact Virginia tribes as a matter of\nrespect out of what they did in working to make this Nation what it is\ntoday and also in helping create opportunities to enhance and protect\nthe well-being of tribal members.\n This legislation will also provide certainty and finality on the\ngaming issue for the six Virginia tribes. H.R. 984 clearly prohibits\nthe tribes from conducting gaming activities under the Indian Gaming\nRegulatory Act. The Federal Government's failure to recognize the\nVirginia tribes is a serious injustice, but it is one that we here\ntoday can correct.\n Congress retains the authority to recognize Indian tribes, and I\nbelieve that it is right and just for us to continue to exercise that\nauthority under the Constitution and recognize these six first-contact\nVirginia tribes. These first-contact tribes deserve equity and parity\nunder the law. It is absolutely long overdue.\n I urge your support for H.R. 984.\n Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.\n Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.\n We are here today, more than 400 years after the first English\nsettlers landed in what became Jamestown, Virginia, to finally\nestablish a government-to-government relationship with the Indian\ntribes who greeted those settlers.\n The Virginia tribes that are recognized in this bill have treaties\nwith the King of England that date back to the early 1600s. Their\nancestors were there at Jamestown and facilitated the very founding and\nearly development of our Nation.\n These tribes have been unable to claim their rightful Indian identity\nin relation to the Federal Government, due in great part to the\nmachinations\n\n[[Page H4258]]\n\nof one man, Walter Ashby Plecker, the State registrar for the\nCommonwealth in the early 20th century. Plecker, an avowed White\nsupremacist, ran Virginia's Bureau of Vital Statistics for over 34\nyears. From 1912 to 1947, Plecker set out to rid the Commonwealth of\nany documents that recorded the existence of Indians or Indian tribes\nliving therein.\n He was instrumental in ensuring passage of the Racial Integrity Act\nin 1924, making it illegal for individuals to classify themselves or\ntheir newborn children as Indian. But he went even further and spent\ndecades removing the category of Indian from birth and marriage\nrecords. Although this paper genocide, as it has been termed, attempted\nto erase the Virginia Indians from history, the tribal members held\nfirm to their culture and to their identity.\n In 1997, State legislation was passed to help correct the records of\nthe Virginia Indians. Soon after, the Virginia Indians began their\nquest for Federal recognition. Passage of this legislation will finally\nput to end their 20-year struggle.\n I commend and thank our colleague from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) for\nbringing forth this bill. I also want to give special thanks to former\nCongressman Jim Moran, who spent several years in this body championing\nthis legislation and tirelessly working toward its goals.\n Mr. Speaker, it is time to finally put this issue to rest and correct\na historical injustice by extending Federal recognition to these six\nVirginia tribes. I urge all of my colleagues to join me and support\nthis bill.\n Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.\n Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.\n Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the\ngentleman from Virginia (Mr. McEachin).\n Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Soto for yielding. I\nalso want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), my friend\nand colleague, for bringing this legislation forward.\n I rise, 410 years after the first English settlers landed in what\nbecame Jamestown, Virginia, to finally grant Federal recognition to\nsome of the Native American tribes who met those early settlers. Today,\nwith the passage of H.R. 984, we are recognizing the rightful status of\nVirginia tribes in our national history.\n It is largely a historical accident that the tribes of Virginia are\nnot recognized. The six tribes have treaties that predate the United\nStates, but because of the systematic destruction of their records,\nthey have been denied Federal recognition for the services that come\nalong with it. We are fixing this injustice today by passing H.R. 984.\n Federal recognition will provide what the government has long denied:\nlegal protections and financial obligations. Federal recognition will\nprovide financial assistance for the tribes' social services, their\nhealthcare, their housing needs, educational opportunities, and\nrepatriation of the remains of their ancestors in a respectful manner.\n These opportunities will allow Virginia's tribes to flourish\nculturally and economically. These opportunities will lead to a better,\nbrighter future for the next generation. Federal recognition is an\nissue I have cared deeply about since my time in the Virginia General\nAssembly. I am proud and humbled to cosponsor this legislation.\n We have waited too long, Mr. Speaker, to recognize Virginia tribes. I\nurge my colleagues to support passage.\n Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the\ngentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).\n Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Virginia for his\nleadership on this very important piece of legislation, important not\nonly for the Commonwealth of Virginia but for the rights of all\nAmericans, beginning with the original Americans.\n When we talk about the Americas, we sometimes talk as if the Americas\nbegan in the early 17th century, with Jamestown, with Plymouth, and\nwith the subsequent colonization of the East Coast. But, in fact, there\nwere millions of Native Americans here long before European\ncolonization. They had rich culture. They had incredible artistic\nexpression. They had a way of life. It was disrupted by European\ncolonization.\n As if some genocidal policies of the 18th and 19th century weren't\nbad enough in terms of their terrible impact on this population, the\nracism my friend from Florida described that went on shamefully in the\nCommonwealth of Virginia in the early 20th century deeply compounded\nthe problem by denying the identity of individuals and communities as\nNative American so that the battle for them to have their rights\nrestored that my good friend, Mr. Wittman, is trying to right today was\nmade so much more difficult and complex.\n\n {time} 1445\n\n If I destroy your identity papers, I destroy your ability to prove\nwho you are. That is the dilemma and that is the catch-22 in which we\nfind ourselves today.\n This is a matter of simple justice. This is a matter of Congress\nrighting a wrong. It is a proud moment to stand shoulder to shoulder,\nRepublican and Democrat from Virginia, to want to right this wrong. And\nI know we are joined by all of our colleagues and former colleagues,\nincluding our friend Jim Moran for his great leadership in this matter.\n So I am proud to support the efforts of my colleague. I urge all\nMembers of the House to support this legislation, and let's turn a page\nin history the right way.\n Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, it is time to right this wrong injustice and\nbring truth back into our history.\n Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I\nyield back the balance of my time.\n Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.\n I would like to also recognize the leaders of our Virginia tribes\ntoday. Several of those members are with us here in the gallery today\nto witness a long overdue action by Congress to formally recognize\nthose Virginia tribes. Those Virginia tribal leaders have been\ntremendous in their resolve and in their support to make sure that we\nright this injustice.\n I want to thank them for what they have done. They have been tireless\nin their support for the things that they have done to make sure that\nwe all appreciate and understand the great history with these Virginia\ntribes.\n I would be remiss if I didn't mention that those members of the\ntribes today, a number are getting smaller and smaller. And this is\nreally only about making sure we are doing what is right for those\ntribes and making sure that they get that formal recognition because of\nmany injustices that have happened in the past.\n Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 984. And I believe\nwith the passage out of the House--and I urge my colleagues in the\nSenate to do likewise--today will be a very proud day for our Nation in\ncoming about and recognizing these Virginia first-contact tribes that\nhas been long overdue.\n Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.\n Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 984,\nthe Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition\nAct and I want to thank my fellow Virginian, Congressman Rob Wittman\nfor introducing this bill, and the gentleman from Utah, Chairman Bishop\nand the gentleman from Arizona, Ranking Member Grijalva, for their\nleadership and cooperation in bringing the bill to the floor.\n Four hundred ten years ago, the first English settlers founded\nJamestown, Virginia. The founding of Jamestown represented a first step\nin the creation of our great Republic, and the success of this colony\nis owed to the help of the indigenous people of Virginia.\n With this assistance, the Jamestown colony weathered a difficult\nfirst few years in the New World before expanding, with English\ncolonists pushing further inland. The same Native Americans who had\nhelped those first settlers were pushed from their land without\ncompensation. Treaties, many of which precede our own constitution,\nwere made in an effort to compensate Virginia's Native Americans.\nUnfortunately, as history has repeatedly shown, these treaties were not\noften honored.\n Like many other Native Americans, and many other groups who were not\nwhite, and despite their contributions to the founding of our nation,\nVirginia's Indian Tribes were pushed to the fringes of society. They\nwere deprived of their land, prevented from getting an education, and\ndenied a role in our society. Virginia's Native Americans were denied\ntheir\n\n[[Page H4259]]\n\nvery fundamental human rights and the very freedoms and liberties\nenshrined in our Constitution.\n This bill will finally grant federal recognition to the Chickahominy\nTribe, the Eastern Chickahominy Tribe, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, the\nRappahannock Tribe, the Monacan Indian Nation, and the Nansemond Tribe.\n Federal recognition of Virginia's Indian Tribes will promote tribal\neconomic development and allow Virginia's tribes to flourish\nculturally. Federal recognition, a process that has been ongoing for\nthese tribes for over 30 years, will lead to a bright future for a\nwhole new generation of tribe members.\n Mr. Speaker, I was a member of the Virginia General Assembly in 1983\nwhen many of these tribes first gained formal recognition from the\nCommonwealth of Virginia, and I am proud to be here today supporting\nfederal recognition for these tribes.\n The time has come for this Congress to act, and I therefore urge my\ncolleagues to support this bill.\n Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I spoke during debate on\nH.R. 984, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal\nRecognition Act of 2017.\n I rise, 410 years after the first English settlers landed in what\nbecame Jamestown, Virginia, to finally grant federal recognition to\nsome of the Native American tribes who met those early settlers.\n Today, with passage of H.R. 984, we are recognizing the rightful\nstatus of Virginia's tribes in our national history.\n These six tribes have treaties that predate the United States but\nbecause of the systemic destruction of their records, they have been\ndenied federal recognition and the services that come along with it.\n We are fixing this injustice by passing H.R. 984.\n Federal recognition will provide what the government has long\ndenied--legal protections and financial obligations.\n Federal recognition will provide financial assistance for the tribes'\nsocial services, health care and housing needs, educational\nopportunities, and repatriation of the remains of their ancestors in a\nrespectful manner. These opportunities will allow Virginia's tribes to\nflourish culturally and economically. These opportunities will lead to\na better, brighter future for the next generation.\n Federal recognition is an issue I have cared about deeply since my\ntime in the Virginia General Assembly and I am a proud cosponsor this\nlegislation.\n We have waited too long to recognize Virginia's tribes. I urge my\ncolleagues to support passage.\n The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the\ngentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules\nand pass the bill, H.R. 984.\n The question was taken.\n The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds\nbeing in the affirmative, the ayes have it.\n Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.\n The yeas and nays were ordered.\n The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further\nproceedings on this motion will be postponed.\n\n ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2017-05-17-pt1-PgH4251"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 75.88816003408283, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}