WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds’ (R-S.D.) bipartisan legislation to repeal discriminatory federal laws targeting Native Americans was signed into law by the president today.
The Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act will repeal 11 outdated federal laws, including laws that stripped Native American children from their families for the purpose of placing them in “Indian reform schools,” such as the now-infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Rounds first introduced the RESPECT Act in 2016 and has led this legislation in each Congress since.
The RESPECT Act is supported by the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association (GPTCA) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).
“I have worked on this common sense, bipartisan legislation since coming to the United States Senate, so I am pleased that it has been signed into law,” said Rounds. “It’s long overdue to remove these immoral, discriminatory federal laws from our books. Throughout history, Native Americans have been subjected to unfair treatment from our federal government, including the forced removal of their children from their homes. Clearly, there is no place in our legal code for such measures, and it is appalling these laws are still in our federal code. While we cannot rewrite the past, we need to acknowledge it and continue to strive for a more perfect Union.”
“First, I’d like to commend and thank Senator Rounds for his sincere intent in sponsoring this legislation,” said J. Garret Renville, Chairman-elect of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. “The RESPECT Act is a first step in an attempt to better consult and coordinate with Tribal Nations. Historically and symbolically; it is my hope, that it represents a path to improving the long standing inequities in the relationship and dealings between sovereign people, their nations and the United States Government.”
“I want to thank Senator Rounds for spearheading this legislation,” said Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Councilman Christian Skunk. “The RESPECT Act will ensure going forward the relationship between tribes and the federal government is mended. We know it’s impossible to change the past, but we can choose how we proceed and the RESPECT Act is a step in the right direction.”
Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) are cosponsors of this legislation.
Companion legislation was introduced in the House on May 12, 2021, by Representatives Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.) and cosponsored by Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.).