Editorial: Take up Virginia recognition in Senate

Thursday, May 10, 2007  

"There is a certain surreal quality to the debate over the congressional legislation granting federal recognition of Virginia's Indian tribes. It results from a number of factors -- perhaps foremost the fact that everyone already recognizes the tribes on an informal basis. Nobody doubts their authenticity, particularly given the attention paid to the Indians during the celebrations of the Jamestown quadricentennial. The commonwealth itself formally recognized the tribes in the 1980s.

What's more, the principal objection to federal recognition (indeed, one voiced in this space in years past) is less an argument from first principles than a practical concern about a potential pitfall: the possibility that recognition might one day lead to casino gambling.

On Tuesday, Sen. John Warner said he would not want to "allow a measure to pass which would open the way for gambling in Virginia against the wishes of the majority of the people and such legislation as the General Assembly may pass." He was not just being loquacious. The long conditionals are necessary because Virginia already has abundant gambling -- chiefly through the Lottery.

The congressional legislation includes enough protection against casino gambling to sway a longtime opponent of federal recognition, Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf. Former Sen. George Allen is on record supporting recognition as well. If they can be persuaded to the justice of the tribes' cause, then surely others can, too. We have been persuaded, for example. The Senate should not let a long-shot hypothetical possibility stand in the way of the recognition that is the tribes' due."

Get the Story:
Yes to Recognition (The RIchmond Times-Dispatch 5/10)

Statements:
Rep. Jim Moran: House Approves Federal Recognition for VA Tribes (May 8, 2007) | WOLF STATEMENT ON FEDERAL RECOGNITION OF VIRGINIA INDIAN TRIBES (May 8, 2007)

Roll Call:
Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1294, Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act (May 8, 2007)

Committee Hearings:
Full Committee Markup (April 25, 2007) | Full Committee Legislative Hearing: H.R. 1294 and H.R. 65 (April 18, 2007)

Recognition Bill:
Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act (H.R.1294)

Relevant Links:
Virginia Indians Tribal Alliance For Life - http://www.vitalva.org
House Resources Committee - http://resourcescommittee.house.gov

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