Native American Legislative Update

More than 300 young adults joined us for Spring Lobby Weekend to advocate for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools Policies Act. Advocates met with over 100 offices and secured two new cosponsors – Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-12) and Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20). And more offices have expressed an interest in joining the bill! We applaud the powerful voices of our young adult network.

Representatives Sharice Davids (KS-03) and Tom Cole (OK-04) reintroduced the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act (H.R. 7227). We are ecstatic about this bill’s reintroduction and are eager to continue to advocate for its passage during our 2024 Spring Lobby Weekend in March.

During the White House Tribal Nations Summit, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative plans to release the second volume of its investigative report early this year.

Despite proposing sharp cuts to many federal agencies, House appropriators protected funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Indian Health Service. Lawmakers expressed their commitment to upholding and honoring federal treaty obligations and trust responsibility to tribal nations.

Congress and the Biden administration’s abusive immigration enforcement decisions can have a profound impact on Native communities. There are 151 federally recognized tribes that have a presence in a southern border state. The U.S.-Mexico border wall affects at least 29 Indigenous communities, including the Kumeyaay Nation and Tohono O’odham.

Throughout 2023, lawmakers have introduced bills, held hearings, and marked up legislation impacting Native communities. Several bills are now ready for House or Senate floor consideration. Here’s a look at a few of the bills that are being advanced by House or Senate committees.

This summer, the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, the Office of Environmental Justice, and the Office of Tribal Justice held a regional summit for tribal leaders in Spokane, WA. These gatherings aim to fulfill the commitment outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy.

On June 28, the commission created under the Not Invisible Act of 2019 held a hearing in Albuquerque, NM, to receive testimony on the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP).

In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a significant victory for Native American rights when it upheld critical provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Congress enacted ICWA 45 years ago to rectify decades of government-enforced removal of Native children from their families in a deliberate effort to erase their cultural identity and tribal citizenship. FCNL helped draft and advocate for the passage of ICWA in 1978.

On May 18, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (MA), Lisa Murkowski (AK), and others re-introduced a bipartisan bill to establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States to the Senate (S. 1723).