,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dgeb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bi1 #bjbj,ms4 ,warren introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,indian ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,truth and ,healing ,commission on ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy in the ,united ,states1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,truth and ,healing ,commission on ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy was adopted by the ,united ,states ,government to strip ,american ,indian and ,alaska ,native 7,,ai_/,,an7 children of their indigenous identities1 beliefs1 and traditional languages to assimilate them into ,white ,american culture through federally funded ,christian-run schools1 which had the effect of cultural genocide4 7#b7 ,for nearly a century1 between #ahfi and the #aifjs1 the ,federal ,government implemented the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy4 ,this policy authorized the forced removal of hundreds of thousands of ,,ai_/,,an children1 as young as #e years old1 relocating them from their homes in ,tribal communities to one of the #cfg ,indian ,boarding ,schools across #cj ,states4 7#c7 ,by #aibf1 nearly #hc percent of ,,ai_/,,an school-age children were enrolled in ,indian boarding schools in the ,united ,states4 ,however1 because nearly #fb percent of the school records have been lost or destroyed1 the full extent of the ,federal ,indian boarding school policy has not been identified4 7#d7 ,gen4 ,richard ,henry ,pratt1 the founder and superintendent of the ,carlisle ,indian ,industrial ,school in ,carlisle1 ,pennsylvania1 stated the ethos of this policy to kill the ,indian in him1 and save the man4 ,founded in #ahgi1 the ,carlisle ,indian ,school set the precedent as the first ,government-funded off-reservation ,indian boarding school in the ,united ,states where over #aj1jjj ,,ai_/,,an children were enrolled from over #adj ,tribes4 7#e7 ,the ,indian ,boarding ,school policy was designed to assimilate ,,ai_/,,an children into ,white ,american culture by stripping them of their cultural identities1 often through physical1 sexual1 psychological1 and spiritual abuse and neglect4 ,many of the children who were taken to boarding schools never returned to their communities4 ,at the ,carlisle ,indian ,school alone1 approximately #ahj ,,ai_/,,an children were buried4 7#f7 ,while attending ,indian boarding schools1 ,,ai_/,,an children suffered additional psychological abuses as they were sent to ,white-owned homes and businesses for involuntary and unpaid manual labor work during the summers4 ,many children ran away and remained missing1 or died of illnesses due to harsh living conditions1 abuse1 and_/or substandard health care provided by the schools4 7#g7 ,many of the children were buried in unmarked graves or off-campus cemeteries4 ,inaccurate1 scattered1 and missing school records make it nearly impossible for families to locate the final resting place of their loved ones1 especially since only #ch percent of the school's records have been located from #adb of the known #cfg boarding schools4 7#h7 ,parents of the children who were forcibly removed to the boarding schools were prohibited from visiting or engaging in correspondence with their children4 ,parental resistance to compliance with this harsh no-contact policy resulted in their incarceration or loss of access to basic provisions including food rations1 clothing1 or both4 7#i7 ,the #bjah ,broken ,promises ,report published by the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights reported that ,,ai_/,,an communities continue to experience intergenerational trauma resulting from experiences in ,indian ,boarding ,schools that divided cultural family structures1 damaged indigenous identities1 and inflicted chronic psychological ramifications on ,,ai_/,,an children and families4 7#aj7 ,the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention ,kaiser ,permanente ,adverse ,childhood ,experiences ,study shows that adverse or traumatic childhood experiences disrupts brain development leading to a higher likelihood of negative health outcomes as adults including1 but not limited to1 heart disease1 obesity1 diabetes1 and autoimmune diseases4 ,,ai_/,a,ns suffer from disproportional rates of each of these diseases compared to the national average today4 7#aa7 ,the longstanding ramifications of the inhumane treatment of ,,ai_/,,an children and families at these boarding schools continues to impact ,tribal communities through intergenerational trauma1 cycles of violence and abuse1 disappearance1 health disparities1 substance abuse1 premature deaths1 and additional undocumented psychological trauma4 7#ab7 ,the continuing lasting implications of the ,federal ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy and inhumane treatment of ,,ai_/,,an children and families influenced modern ,u4,s4 ,department of the ,interior's ,bureau of ,indian ,education 7,,bie7-operated schools4 ,these schools have often failed to meet the many needs of nearly #ej1jjj ,,ai_/,,an students across #bc ,states4 7#ac7 ,the replication of assimilation policies of the boarding school era also presented itself through other ,federal programs like the ,indian ,adoption ,project 7#aieh to #aifg7 that placed ,,ai_/,,an children in non-,indian households and institutions for foster care or adoption across #be ,states4 7#ad7 ,the ,association on ,american ,indian ,affairs reported that the continuation of cultural genocide and assimilation policies through ,federal ,,ai_/,,an adoption and foster care programs between #aida to #aifg separated as many as one-third of ,native ,american children from their families in ,tribal communities1 subsequently prompting the creation of the ,indian ,child ,welfare ,act 7,,icwa7 to stop the removal of children4 7#ae7 ,in some ,states1 over #ej percent of foster care children in ,state adoption systems are ,native ,american4 ,the general lack of public awareness1 information1 and acknowledgment of the residual impacts of the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy and intergenerational trauma remain1 signaling the overdue need for an investigative ,federal committee to further document and expose the assimilation and cultural genocide implemented under this policy4 #c4 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are as follows3 7#a7 ,to establish a new ,truth and ,healing ,commission on ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy in the ,united ,states to formally investigate and document1 for the first time in history1 cultural genocide1 assimilation practices1 and human rights violations of ,indian ,boarding ,schools in the ,united ,states1 to study the impact and ongoing effects of historical and intergenerational trauma in ,tribal communities1 and to provide a forum for indigenous victims and families to discuss the personal impacts of physical1 psychological1 and spiritual violence4 7#b7 ,to further develop recommendations for the ,federal ,government to acknowledge and heal the historical and intergenerational trauma caused by the ,federal ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy and other cultural genocide practices1 including recommendations to stop the continued removal of ,,ai_/,,an children from their families and ,tribal communities under modern-day assimilation practices carried out by ,state social service departments1 foster care agencies1 and adoption services4 #d4 ,truth and ,healing ,commission on ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy in the ,united ,states 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,commission ,the term ,commission means the ,truth and ,healing ,commission on ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy in the ,united ,states established by subsection 7b77#a74 7#b7 ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy ,the term ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy means the policy of the ,federal ,government under which more than #ajj1jjj ,american ,indian and ,alaska ,native children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in any of #dfj ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs-operated schools1 including #cfg ,indian boarding schools1 at which assimilation and civilization practices were inflicted on those children as part of the assimilation efforts of the ,federal ,government1 advancing eradication of indigenous peoples' cultures in the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,establishment 7#a7 ,in general ,there is established the ,truth and ,healing ,commission on ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy in the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,commission is to investigate the experience1 impacts1 and ongoing effects of the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy1 including the impacts and ongoing effects of the intergenerational trauma inflicted on ,american ,indian and ,alaska ,native families1 including physical1 psychological1 sexual1 and spiritual violence inflicted on ,native ,american children as young as #e years old for speaking indigenous languages or engaging in traditional practices4 ,in addition to1 obtaining accurate records and oral accounts of the events that took place at the boarding schools4 7#c7 ,membership 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,commission shall be composed of members appointed as follows3 7i7 ,not fewer than #a member appointed by the ,president4 7ii7 ,not fewer than #a member appointed by the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate1 on the recommendation of the majority leader of the ,senate4 7iii7 ,not fewer than #a member appointed by the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate1 on the recommendation of the minority leader of the ,senate4 7iv7 ,not fewer than #b members appointed by the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives1 of whom not fewer than #a shall be appointed on the recommendation of the minority leader of the ,house of ,representatives4 7,b7 ,requirements for membership ,to the maximum extent practicable1 the ,president and the ,members of ,congress shall appoint members of the ,commission under subparagraph 7,a7 to represent diverse experiences and backgrounds so as to include ,tribal representatives and experts who will provide balanced points of view with regard to the duties of the ,commission1 including ,tribal representatives and experts-- 7i7 from diverse geographic areas2 and 7ii7 who possess personal experience with1 diverse policy experience with1 or specific expertise in1 ,indian boarding school history or the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy4 7,c7 ,presidential appointment ,the ,president shall make appointments to the ,commission under this paragraph in coordination with the ,secretary of the ,interior and the ,director of the ,bureau of ,indian ,education4 7,d7 ,members to be included ,to the maximum extent practicable1 the membership of the ,commission shall include-- 7i7 #a representative from each of-- 7,i7 the ,national ,native ,american ,boarding ,school ,healing ,coalition2 7,,ii7 the ,national ,indian ,education ,association2 7,,iii7 the ,american ,indian ,higher ,education ,consortium2 and 7,,iv7 ,national ,indian ,child ,welfare ,association2 7ii7 the ,director or ,administrator of-- 7,i7 the ,bureau of ,indian ,education2 7,,ii7 the ,office of ,indian ,education of the ,department of ,education2 7,,iii7 the ,administration for ,native ,americans of the ,administration for ,children and ,families of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services2 and 7,,iv7 the ,national ,museum of the ,american ,indian of the ,smithsonian ,institution2 7iii7 not fewer than-- 7,i7 #e members of different ,indian ,tribes from diverse geographic areas1 to be selected from among nominations submitted by ,indian ,tribes2 7,,ii7 #b health care or mental health practitioners1 counselors1 or providers with experience in working with former students of ,indian boarding schools1 to be selected from among nominations of ,tribal chairs or elected ,tribal leadership local to the region in which the practitioner1 counselor1 or provider works2 7,,iii7 #c members of different national ,indian organizations1 regional ,indian organizations1 or urban ,indian organizations that are focused on1 or have relevant expertise with1 the history and systemic trauma associated with the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy2 7,,iv7 #d former students or ,indian survivors who attended ,indian boarding schools2 7,v7 #b family members of students who attended ,indian boarding schools1 to represent diverse regions of the ,united ,states2 7,,vi7 #b students who currently attend an ,indian boarding school1 including not fewer than #a student who currently attends the ,chemawa ,indian ,school 7,,or71 ,haskell ,indian ,nations ,university 7,,ks71 ,mount ,edgecumbe 7,,ak71 ,santa ,fe ,indian ,school 7,,nm71 or ,sherman ,institute 7,,ca72 7,,vii7 #b students who currently attend a ,,bie-operated boarding school1 tribally controlled boarding school1 ,state public boarding school1 private nonprofit boarding school formerly operated by the ,federal ,government1 parochial boarding school1 and ,,bie-operated college or university2 7,,viii7 #b former teachers who taught at an ,indian boarding school for not fewer than #e years2 and 7,,ix7 #a representative of the ,international ,indian ,treaty ,council 7,,iitc7 or ,association on ,american ,indian ,affairs 7,,aaia74 7,e7 ,date ,the appointments of the members of the ,commission shall be made not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7#d7 ,period of appointment2 vacancies2 removal 7,a7 ,period of appointment ,a member of the ,commission shall be appointed for a term of #b years4 7,b7 ,vacancies ,a vacancy in the ,commission-- 7i7 shall not affect the powers of the ,commission2 and 7ii7 shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment4 7,c7 ,removal ,the ,president or a ,member of ,congress making an appointment under paragraph 7#c77;,a7 may remove a member appointed by that ,president or ,member of ,congress1 respectively1 only for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office4 7#e7 ,meetings ,the ,commission shall meet at the call of the ,chairperson4 7#f7 ,quorum ,a majority of the members of the ,commission shall constitute a quorum1 but a lesser number of members may hold hearings4 7#g7 ,chairperson and vice chairperson ,the ,commission shall select a ,chairperson and ,vice ,chairperson from among the members of the ,commission4 7c7 ,duties of the commission 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,commission shall develop recommendations on actions the ,federal ,government can take to adequately address the historical and intergenerational trauma inflicted by the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy1 including recommendations on ways to stop the continued removal of ,indian children from their families and reservations under modern-day assimilation practices carried out by ,state social service departments1 foster care agencies1 and adoption agencies4 7#b7 ,matters studied ,the matters studied by the ,commission under paragraph 7#a7 shall include-- 7,a7 the implementation of the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy at the #dfj schools operated by the ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs2 7,b7 how the assimilation practices of the ,federal ,government advanced the cultural genocide of ,native ,americans2 and 7,c7 the impacts and ongoing effects of the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy4 7#c7 ,additional duties ,in carrying out paragraph 7#a71 the ,commission shall locate1 document1 analyze1 and preserve records from boarding schools described in paragraph 7#b77;,a71 including any records held at ,state and local levels4 7#d7 ,testimony ,the ,commission shall take testimony from survivors of boarding schools described in paragraph 7#b77;,a71 identifying how the experience impacts the lives of the survivors1 so that their stories will be remembered as part of the history of the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,report ,not later than #bd months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall make publicly available and submit to the ,president1 the ,white ,house ,council on ,native ,american ,affairs1 the ,secretary of the ,interior1 the ,committee on ,indian ,affairs of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,members of ,congress making appointments under paragraph 7#c77;,a71 a report containing-- 7,a7 a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the ,commission2 7,b7 the recommendations of the ,commission for such legislation and administrative actions as the ,commission considers appropriate2 7,c7 the recommendations of the ,commission to increase ,federal funding to adequately fund ,american ,indian and ,alaska ,native programs for mental health1 traditional healing programs1 and mandatory inclusion of ,native ,american history1 including the history of the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy1 in required ,k-#ab curriculum2 and 7,d7 other related recommendations of the ,commission-- 7i7 to address historical and intergenerational trauma inflicted on ,american ,indian and ,alaska ,native communities by the ,indian ,boarding ,school ,policy2 and 7ii7 to discontinue the harmful practices and policies that continue in boarding schools operated or funded by the ,bureau of ,indian ,education or other educational facilities operated on ,indian reservations4 7d7 ,powers of commission ,the ,commission may hold such hearings1 sit and act at such times and places1 take such testimony1 and receive such evidence as the ,commission considers advisable to carry out this section4