(The Center Square) – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico, introduced a bill with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to provide Native American tribes with more resources to go after child abuse and neglect.
The two lawmakers reintroduced the Native American Child Protection Act (NACPA), a bipartisan bill to authorize Tribes to “treat, prevent, investigate, and prosecute Native American child abuse and neglect,” according to the release from Luján’s office.
The programs originally came about in 1990 as part of the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act.
They provide additional funding for Tribal child welfare services but have not been reauthorized by Congress.
The bill introduced by Luján and Collins would do the following, according to the release:
Establishes a single National Indian Child Resource and Family Services Center to provide Tribes with technical assistance and training on addressing child abuse, family violence, and child neglect. It will also improve intergovernmental coordination between federal and Tribal personnel responding to these issues;Reauthorizes the competitive Indian Child Abuse Treatment Grant Program to establish treatment programs and culturally appropriate services for the victims of child abuse and neglect in Indian Country; andReauthorizes formula grants to Tribes under the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Program for child abuse prevention and investigation.
Congress has appropriated $5 million in such grants since 1990, according to the release.
“Congress has acknowledged there is ‘no resource that is more vital to the continued existence and integrity of Indian Tribes than their children,’” Luján said in the release. “Given the traumatic history of Native children being disproportionately removed from their families, Tribes need tailored child welfare support in their communities to heal and keep Native families together. The Native American Child Protection Act will finally address the shortfall in Tribal-specific services to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect by reauthorizing programs intended for this purpose. I’m proud to re-introduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure the federal government and Tribal Nations work together to better protect Native children.”
Collins said the bill will protect Native American culture while also helping children.
“The Native American Child Protection Act would modernize and reauthorize programs that aim to assist tribes in their efforts to help victims of child abuse and prevent future abuse,” Collins said in the release. “This bill recognizes the significance of each tribe’s unique cultural values, customs, and traditions while helping to ensure that children and families receive the support they deserve.”
