This bill extends federal recognition to the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe of Virginia, a tribe with over 300 enrolled members and documented genealogical ties to the historic Nottoway people who signed treaties with Virginia in the 1600s and 1700s. The tribe currently owns 263 acres in Southampton County, Virginia, and the bill allows them to request that the Secretary of the Interior place additional tribal-owned lands acquired before 2007 into federal trust status within three years of submission. Upon federal recognition, the tribe and its citizens become eligible for all federal services and benefits provided to recognized Indian tribes, with the federal government determining the service area within 120 days of the bill's enactment. The bill explicitly prohibits the tribe from conducting gaming or gambling activities under federal Indian gaming laws. The bill does not expand or reduce the tribe's hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, or water rights.
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