The spending bill that keeps the federal government up and running is also jump-starting a new commission that will focus on issues facing Native youth.
A provision in H.R.244, the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, directs the
Department of Justice to "support" the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children. An exact amount isn't specified but a champion of the effort took the language as a sign of progress.
“Now that this commission will have the funding it needs to begin its crucial work, we need to get the rest of the members of the commission on board so they can get started on providing lasting solutions designed to improve outcomes for Native children,”
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), the sponsor of
S.246,
the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act, said in a
press release on Monday.
A report accompanying H.R.244, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, directs the Department of Justice to "support" the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children. Source: Division B
S.246 calls for 11 members on the commission. Before he left office,
former president Barack Obama named
Anita
Fineday, a citizen of the
White
Earth Nation, and
Russ
McDonald, a citizen of the
Spirit Lake Nation, to the panel.
Heitkamp announced a third member on Monday.
Tami DeCoteau, a citizen of the
Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, was chosen by
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), the Democratic leader in the
Senate.
“When a Native child is able to walk into a classroom or a foster home and be understood, it can mean the world of difference on what they are able to achieve,” said DeCoteau, a psychologist who is is an expert in the treatment of traumatic disorders . “Senator Heitkamp’s Commission on Native Children would work to comprehensively address the complex challenges Native young people face – like experiencing something traumatic like abuse, extreme poverty or crime – and making sure they are supported by the trauma-informed care, and appropriate resources they need to succeed.”
The remaining 8 members have yet to be publicly announced. One is to be named by
President
Donald Trump and the 7 others are to be named by leaders of the
House and the Senate.
Congress is expected to clear H.R.244, the appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017, by the end of the week. The White House has said Trump intends on signing it into law.
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