Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025
Senate Committee Advances Native-Led Truth and Healing Commission to Probe Indian Boarding School Abuses
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Creates a Truth and Healing Commission to investigate U.S. Indian boarding school policies and their long-term harms.
- Sets up survivor, Native-led, and federal/religious advisory groups to guide the work and help gather records and testimony.
- Requires public and private listening sessions across all 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs regions and in Hawai‘i, with mental health supports available.
- Directs the Commission to find and share information about marked and unmarked burial sites tied to these schools, and report to Congress and agencies.
- Provides $90 million to run the work for up to 6 years, but does not create a new right to sue the government.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
State Impacts
Milestones
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 139.
The bill is now on the schedule for the full chamber to consider. It's in line for debate and a vote.
Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-54.
The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.
Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articles
Cole leads bipartisan push to uncover history of Indian boarding schools
Rep. Tom Cole and Rep. Sharice Davids reintroduced H.R. 7325, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026. The bill seeks to form an official commission to investigate federal actions that forcibly enrolled 86% of Indigenous children into boarding schools.
CALL TO ACTION: The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act Needs Immediate Action
The U.S. Senate passed the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2024 (S. 1723). The legislation calls for a formal investigation into the federal government's boarding school policies, which led to the attempted termination and assimilation of Native Americans.
US boarding school truth inches forward
A bill to create a U.S. Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies passed through the House Education and Workforce Committee. The act, H.R. 7227, would investigate human rights violations and develop recommendations to aid in healing historical and intergenerational trauma.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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