WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, praised the Senate’s passage of S. 246, the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) with several bipartisan cosponsors.
S. 246 establishes the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children in the Office of Tribal Justice of the Department of Justice. The commission would study federal, state, local and tribal programs that serve Native children and would give recommendations as to how to make these programs more effective.
“This commission on Native children is intended to make government programs more efficient and effective for children in tribal communities,” said Chairman Barrasso. “This bill was one of the first passed by the committee this Congress. I urge the president to sign it into law so that we can better meet the needs of Native children.”
S. 246 was passed by the committee on Feb. 4, 2015 and passed by the Senate the first time on June 1, 2015. The bill was amended and passed by the House of Representatives on Sept. 12, 2016. The bill will now go the president for his signature.
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