Sponsors (2)
The Act formally recognizes the Patawomeck Tribe—bringing immediate cultural, legal, and programmatic benefits to tribal members and clearer governance—but it also creates fiscal costs, jurisdictional complexity for nearby governments and residents, and legal trade‑offs around membership, land status, and development options.
Members of the Patawomeck Tribe gain federal recognition and immediate eligibility for federal programs and services (health, housing, education, social services), unlocking direct benefits and funding previously unavailable to them.
Patawomeck tribal members and descendants receive formal recognition of their cultural identity and self‑governance, supporting language revitalization, cultural preservation, and a basis for repatriation of ancestral remains.
Tribal governance and administration gain clearer legal definitions (who is the 'Tribe', which Secretary administers the Act, and which membership roll governs), reducing immediate administrative ambiguity for federal agencies, banks, and contractors.
Taxpayers and federal agencies may incur new and ongoing costs to extend services, administer programs, and process trust acquisitions for a newly recognized Tribe, increasing federal spending or requiring reallocated funds.
State and local governments, local residents, and service providers may face jurisdictional and regulatory complexity (coordination, law enforcement, zoning, and service delivery) where federal tribal authorities now apply, complicating planning and operations for surrounding communities.
Converting land to federal trust status can reduce local tax bases and local zoning/control, potentially shifting fiscal burdens to other taxpayers and changing land-use outcomes for nearby homeowners and municipalities.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Grants federal recognition to the Patawomeck Tribe, makes members eligible for federal Indian services, defines membership/governance, permits trust land in three VA counties (no gaming), and preserves existing rights.
Introduced July 23, 2025 by Eugene Simon Vindman · Last progress July 23, 2025
Grants federal recognition to the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, making the Tribe and its enrolled members eligible for federal services and benefits available to other federally recognized tribes. The law defines the Tribe's membership and governing body based on documents the Tribe filed with the Interior Department, sets a three‑year deadline for the Secretary to decide on tribe requests to take owned land into trust within three named Virginia counties, prohibits gaming on lands taken into trust, preserves existing hunting/fishing/trapping/gathering/water rights, and bars eminent domain from being used to acquire tribal land recognized under the Act.