Sen. Elizabeth Warren Reintroduces the “Truth & Healing” Bill on May 18, 2023

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reintroduced legislation S.1723, a bill to establish
the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the
United States, along with 26 Senators as co-sponsors. The National Native American
Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) is beyond grateful for the support from
Senator Warren to reintroduce this bi-partisan bill for the 118th Congress.
S.1723 will create a federal Truth and Healing Commission that will conduct a full
Inquiry into the assimilative policies of the U.S. Indian boarding schools by: 

  • Examining the location of children: The Commission would locate and
    document all children still buried at or near boarding school facilities, and
    identify children who attended and went missing while attending boarding
    schools.
  •  Documenting ongoing impacts from boarding schools: The Commission
    would compile evidence of the ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma in
    American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. It would
    also examine how assimilative policies attempted to destroy Native languages
    and cultures, as well as the taking of Tribal lands and destroying the nucleus of
    Indigenous ways of living. 
  • Locating records from religious and government organizations: The
    Commission would locate and analyze all records on Indian boarding schools.
    Records of primary importance include those related to attendance, infirmary,
    deaths, land, and other correspondences. The Commission would have the
    power to issue subpoenas to produce all records.
  • Creating and disseminating a findings and recommendations report: The
    Commission would be required to submit a final report to be shared with the
    public and the U.S. government.


Las Casas and the NABS is asking for your advocacy and to reach out to your
Senator to request their support and passage of S.1723 to create a Truth and Healing
Commission on Indian boarding schools. To read more about the bill visit Native
News Online and The National Native American Boarding School Healing
Coalition (https://boardingschoolhealing.org) web sites.