President Obama recently signed legislation into law that U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) led to develop a sustainable system to administer programs and services to Native American children.
Under the bipartisan measure, the Commission on Native Children will be established to study programs, grants and support systems available to Native children within government agencies and at the tribal level.
“I am thrilled to see my bill to help Native children enacted into law,” Daines stated. “This bill is an important step in improving the quality of life for Native children so that they can in turn strengthen the promise of a brighter future for tribal communities.”
The Commission on Native Children will explore challenges that Native children face and make recommendations about how to build on and reform current systems that provide support to Native children.
The Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act is named in honor of two former advocates of tribal children: Alyce Spotted Bear, a former tribal chairwoman of the Arikara Nation in North Dakota, and Walter Sobeleff, a statesman for the Tlingit tribe in Alaska.
The measure, which Daines sponsored with U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), cleared the Senate and the House of Representatives with unanimous support.