RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine is arguing anew for federal recognition of Virginia’s Indian tribes. The Virginia Democrat is appealing to the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding the federal acknowledgement of American Indian tribes. He’s encouraging the bureau to adopt greater flexibility in its recognition process to overcome the barriers Virginia’s tribes have confronted. One hurdle to recognition is that many of the tribes’ records were held in courthouses that were burned during the Civil War. Kaine and Sen. Mark R. Warner introduced legislation in 2013 to grant federal recognition to six Virginia Indian tribes. A companion bill in the House was introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Moran. Kaine says he continues to push for passage of the legislation.
