Republican lawmakers in North Dakota killed a $1.8 million grant that would have sent child protection workers to the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation, The Grand Forks Herald reports.

Republicans said they didn't want to accept the money only to see it dry up after the federal program ended. They also voiced concerns about sending people to visit homes in two counties, including the one encompassing the reservation, where two children were murdered and where reports of child abuse have made national headlines.

“Is it our duty to go in and tell people how to live their lives, or is it for people to determine themselves how to live?” state Rep. Jeff Delzer (R), the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, which rejected the grant, told the paper.

Democrats said the state missed an opportunity to provide additional services on the reservation.

Get the Story:
Did Legislature miss chance to protect Spirit Lake children? (The Grand Forks Herald 8/23)

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