Sen. Rounds’ RESPECT Act approved by Senate.
WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Mike Rounds’ RESPECT Act, which would remove some current laws related to Native Americans, has been approved by the Senate unanimously.
The act would repeal 12 statutes related to Native American education. They include the forcible relocation of Native children to boarding schools and withholding of rations or money owed to Native Americans.
Rounds calls the current laws “historically wrong”..
The Senate took a step toward righting wrongs that have been done to Native Americans throughout our history. We unanimously passed my legislation that would repeal old, racist federal laws related to the treatment of Native Americans.
— Senator Mike Rounds (@SenatorRounds) November 19, 2019
Rounds first introduced the RESPECT Act in 2017. It passed the Senate, but the House wasn’t able to approve it due to time constraints on its legislative calendar.
It now goes back to the House where Congressman Dusty Johnson has sponsored a similar bill.