Consultation with federally recognized tribes; permits and reviews, etc.

Summary

The bill creates a Tribal Consultation Ombudsman appointed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and tasks the Ombudsman with facilitating communication between Virginia’s federally recognized tribes and state agencies. It obligates several departments – including Transportation, Conservation and Recreation, Environmental Quality, Historic Resources, and the Marine Resources Commission – to seek meaningful, timely input from tribes before issuing permits that could impact historic, cultural, or environmental assets. Annual training, reporting, and a new advisory board are also mandated to ensure ongoing collaboration.

AI-generated summary — may be incomplete or inaccurate. Verify against the official bill text.

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