Committee advances bill aiming to protect cultural identity of Native children

Montana Free Press

A House committee Tuesday advanced a bill that would solidify out-of-home placement protections for American Indian children with their tribe onto the House floor for consideration after waiting nearly three weeks for action.

Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, introduced House Bill 317, that would put the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into Montana law. The significance of this bill and ICWA, Windy Boy explained, is to protect the cultural identity of American Indian children.

“Indian policy in the United States is basically termination policy,” Windy Boy said in an int...