U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) on March 17 unveiled a bipartisan bill that would repeal several outdated federal laws that are discriminatory against Native Americans, such as those allowing for the forced removal of Native American children from their homes to be sent to boarding schools and laws subjecting Native Americans to forced labor.
“The idea that these laws were ever considered is disturbing, but the fact that these laws remain on our books is, at best, an oversight,” said Sen. Rounds. “While we cannot rewrite the past, we can help write a better future for generations to come.”
Sen. Rounds sponsored the Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act, S. 789, with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), both members of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
“Throughout history, Native Americans have been subjected to federal laws that are offensive, immoral and outright racist,” Sen. Rounds said. “In many cases, these laws are more than a century old and do nothing but continue the stigma of subjugation and paternalism from that time period. Clearly, there is no place in our legal code for such laws.”
Sen. Rounds introduced the first RESPECT Act during the 114th Congress, where it passed out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. During the 115th and 116th congresses, the bill received unanimous Senate approval but failed to receive a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the senator’s office.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass the RESPECT Act this session of Congress,” said Sen. Rounds.
The bill has received endorsements from the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association and the National Congress of American Indians.