U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) seeks to establish the first congressional charter for a Native American military veterans’ organization.
Sen. Rounds on Sept. 24 sponsored S. 4715 to grant the National American Indian Veterans Inc. (NAIV) a congressional charter, which is a law passed by Congress that recognizes the mission and authority of a group or organization.
NAIV, established in 2004, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization headquartered in South Dakota on the Cheyenne River Reservation that serves Native American veterans in all 50 states.
“The NAIV helps make certain the unique needs of our Native veterans are being met,” Sen. Rounds said. “Our legislation will help strengthen the NAIV’s ability to provide one-of-a-kind assistance to our Native veterans as we seek ways to provide them with the care they’ve earned and deserve.”
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are currently more than 140,000 Native veterans in the United States. And while congressional charters exist for Italian-American, Polish-American, and Catholic-American veterans groups, no Native veterans’ organization has received one to date.
“This bill is very important to American Indians, said NAIV National Commander Don Loudner, a Native veteran and enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. “It doesn’t ask for any money. It only asks that the Congress recognize the sacrifices of generations of American Indians who have answered the nation’s call and fought in every war since the Revolution.”
Among the four original cosponsors of S. 4715 are U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).