,,iii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #gjg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november 
#bg1 #bjah ,mr4 ,udall 7for himself1    
,mr4 ,hoeven1 ,ms4 ,murkowski1 ,mr4     
,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,ms4         
,cantwell1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,ms4    
,harris1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,ms4 ,heitkamp1
 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,king1 
,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mrs4   
,murray1 ,mr4 ,schumer1 ,ms4 ,smith1    
,mr4 ,tester1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,wyden1
 and ,mr4 ,sanders7 submitted the       
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,indian ,affairs  
,,resolution  ,commemorating the #djth  
,anniversary of the ,indian ,child      
,welfare ,act of #aigh4  ,whereas the   
,united ,states and ,indian ,tribes have
 a unique government-to-government      
relationship set out in the             
,constitution1 treaties1 and statutes   
and affirmed through centuries of court 
precedent2 ,whereas it is the duty of   
the ,federal ,government-- 7#a7 to      

uphold that unique relationship2 and    
7#b7 to protect ,american ,indian or    
,alaska ,native 7,,aian7 children1 to   
whom the ,united ,states owes a trust   
responsibility2  ,whereas research shows
 that family1 culture1 and community    
provide all children1 including         
,american ,indian and ,alaska ,native   
youth1 with the tools needed to grow    
into healthy1 resilient adults2 ,whereas
 research conducted in the #aigjs showed
 that-- 7#a7 #a out of every #c ,,aian  
children was removed from their families
 and placed in foster care or adoptive  
homes2  7#b7 #he percent of these foster
 care placements and #ij percent of     
these adoptions resulted in ,,aian      
children being placed in non-,indian    
homes2 and  7#c7 most of these removals 
were not related to the threat of abuse 
or neglect1 but rather to--  7,a7 a lack
 of understanding of tribal             
child-rearing and cultural practices2   
and  7,b7 the bias of those involved in 
making key decisions in the child       

welfare process2  ,whereas1 to address  
this unwarranted1 disproportionate      
removal of ,,aian children from their   
homes1 ,congress wrote the ,indian      
,child ,welfare ,act of #aigh 7#be      
,u4,s4,c4 #aija et seq47 to carefully   
balance--  7#a7 the unique ,federal     
responsibility for the welfare of       
,a,i,a,ns1 including ,,aian children2   
7#b7 the historical role of the ,states 
in formulating and executing child      
welfare policy2 and  7#c7 the inherent  
and continuing sovereign authority of   
,indian ,tribes to be involved in       
important child welfare decisions2      
,whereas ,congress unanimously passed   
the ,indian ,child ,welfare ,act of     
#aigh 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #aija et seq47 on  
,october #ad1 #aigh1 and ,president     
,carter signed the ,act into law on     
,november #h1 #aigh2 ,whereas the       
,indian ,child ,welfare ,act of #aigh   
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #aija et seq47-- 7#a7    
adheres to the principles of tribal     
sovereignty2  7#b7 promotes the best    

interests of ,,aian children2 and  7#c7 
ensures child welfare systems follow    
best practices and treat ,,aian children
 fairly2  ,whereas a coalition of       
leading national child welfare          
organizations has declared the ,indian  
,child ,welfare ,act of #aigh 7#be      
,u4,s4,c4 #aija et seq47 to be the gold 
standard in child welfare system        
practices2 ,whereas1 over the #dj years 
since its enactment1 the ,indian ,child 
,welfare ,act of #aigh 7#be ,u4,s4,c4   
#aija et seq47 has served as a model for
 multiple ,states that have enacted     
similar or identical provisions in their
 own statutes1 regulations1 and         
procedures2 ,whereas1 ,indian ,tribes   
are united in their support for the     
,indian ,child ,welfare ,act of #aigh   
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #aija et seq47 and have  
worked collaboratively with ,states and 
local governments to support compliance 
with the ,act2 and ,whereas1 despite    
progress made by the ,indian ,child     
,welfare ,act of #aigh 7#be ,u4,s4,c4   

#aija et seq471 the need for its        
protections remains3 ,now1 therefore1 be
 it  ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7           
commemorates the #djth anniversary of   
the enactment of the ,indian ,child     
,welfare ,act of #aigh 7#be ,u4,s4,c4   
#aija et seq472  7#b7 reaffirms that the
 ,indian ,child ,welfare ,act of #aigh  
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #aija et seq47-- 7,a7    
protects the best interests of ,indian  
children2  7,b7 promotes the stability  
and security of ,indian ,tribes and     
families2 and  7,c7 respects the        
sovereign authority of both the ,states 
and ,indian ,tribes2 and  7#c7 calls on 
the ,federal ,government to continue    
working with ,indian ,tribes and ,states
 to fully uphold and implement the      
,indian ,child ,welfare ,act of #aigh   
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #aija et seq474