# Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2024

This bill creates an official commission to investigate and document the history of Indian boarding schools in the United States and their lasting impact on Native American communities. From the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, the federal government forcibly sent Native American children to boarding schools designed to assimilate them into mainstream American culture. Students were often punished for speaking their native languages, practicing their traditions, and maintaining their cultural identities. This bill establishes a formal process to examine what happened at these schools, gather survivor testimonies, and create a comprehensive historical record.

The commission would be made up of members appointed by Congress and would have the authority to hold hearings, collect documents, and interview survivors and their descendants. It would investigate the policies that created these schools, the conditions students experienced, and the long-term effects on Native American families and tribes. The commission would also look into what happened to Native American remains and cultural items that were taken from students, many of which are still held in museums and institutions today. This is particularly important because many families never knew what happened to their relatives' remains.

The bill requires the commission to produce a final report documenting its findings and recommendations. This report would serve as an official government acknowledgment of this chapter in American history and could inform future efforts to address the ongoing trauma and loss experienced by Native American communities. While the commission itself doesn't provide direct compensation or immediate policy changes, it represents a significant step toward truth-telling and accountability. For Native American communities, this means their experiences and suffering would finally receive formal government recognition and documentation, which many see as essential for healing and moving forward.

Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2024

Warren, Elizabeth

Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act This bill establishes the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States and sets forth its powers, duties, and membership. Among other duties, the commission must investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies (federal policies under which American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in boarding schools). Further, the commission must develop recommendations on ways to (1) protect unmarked graves and accompanying land protections; (2) support repatriation and identify the tribal nations from which children were taken; and (3) discontinue the removal of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children from their families and tribal communities by state social service departments, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies.