Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. I am pleased to reintroduce the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2015. This legislation was voted out of Committee in the previous Congress, and I remain hopeful that the full Senate will vote to approve this tribes bill this year.

This legislation is critically important because it strives toward reconciling an historic wrong for Virginia and the Nation. While the Virginia Tribes have received official recognition from the Commonwealth of Virginia, acknowledgement and officially-recognized status from the federal government has been considerably more difficult due to their systematic mistreatment over the past century.

More specifically, Virginia's Racial Integrity Act, a state law in effect from 1924 to 1967, stripped the identities of the tribal members of Virginia's Indian Tribes. The Act changed the racial identifications of those who lacked white ancestry to ``colored'' on birth certificates during that period. In addition, five of the six courthouses that held the vast majority of the Virginia Indian Tribal records were destroyed in the Civil War. Those records were crucial for documenting the history of the tribes for recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Acknowledgement.

Furthermore, Virginia Indians made peace when they signed the Treaty of Middle Plantation with England in 1677. This predated the creation of the United States of America by about 100 years; the founding fathers of the United States never recognized the treaty. Therefore, unlike tribes that received federal recognition upon the signing of a treaty with the United States, the Virginia Tribes did not receive federal recognition because they made peace with England prior to the founding of our Nation.

I am proud of Virginia's recognized Indian Tribes and their contributions to our Commonwealth. The Virginia Tribes are not only part of our history, but they remain ever present today. We go to school and work together, and serve the Commonwealth and nation together every day. These contributions should be acknowledged, and this Federal recognition for Virginia's native peoples is long overdue.

Virginia's Indian Tribes contributed to the successful founding of our country and continue to help define our national identity. Their members have attended our schools, worked next to us, and served in every American war since the Revolution, all while maintaining a unique identity and culture. I am hopeful the Senate will act upon my legislation this year, to give these six Virginia Native American Tribes the Federal recognition that is long overdue.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.

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