Bill > S761

This bill establishes the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies to comprehensively investigate and document the historical impacts of Indian Boarding Schools in the United States. The commission will have 5 members appointed by congressional leadership and will conduct a thorough examination of Indian Boarding School Policies, which historically involved forcibly removing Native American children from their families, suppressing their languages and cultures, and subjecting them to psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. The commission's key objectives include formally investigating the long-term effects of these schools on Native American communities, developing recommendations for federal efforts, and promoting healing for survivors, their descendants, and their communities. To accomplish this, the bill creates multiple supporting entities: a Survivors Truth and Healing Subcommittee, a Native American Truth and Healing Advisory Committee, and a Federal and Religious Truth and Healing Advisory Committee. The commission will hold public and private meetings across the United States, collect and preserve historical documentation, and produce both an initial and a final report detailing its findings and recommendations. The bill also includes provisions for burial site management, co-stewardship agreements for cemeteries, and clarifies the applicability of existing Native American cultural protection laws, with the overall goal of acknowledging historical injustices and supporting healing for Native American communities.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/761/all-info