Legislation recently reintroduced by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) would repeal outdated federal laws pertaining to Native Americans, including laws that can force the removal of Native American children from their homes.
Rounds initially introduced the Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act during the 114th Congress, and it was unanimously approved by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
“The laws that would be repealed under the RESPECT Act are a sad reminder of the hostile aggression and overt racism displayed by the early federal government toward Native Americans,” Rounds said. “The idea that these laws were ever considered is disturbing, but the fact that they remain part of our legal code today is, at best, an oversight.”
The RESPECT Act would address laws pertaining to Native American education, forcible relocation of Native American children to boarding schools, wartime status between Native Americans and the federal government, and the withholding of rations or money owed to Native Americans.
“Though we can’t rewrite the past, we can work towards mending relations and furthering respect for future generations,” Rounds said. “The RESPECT Act is one way to show healing, understanding and progress. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass RESPECT during this session of Congress.”