Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025

Summary

Creates a six-year Truth and Healing Commission in the legislative branch to investigate federal Indian boarding school policies and their effects, collect records and testimony, build a public searchable database, and recommend policy, reparative, health, education, and records-access reforms. The bill establishes two advisory committees and a survivors subcommittee, requires confidentiality and tribal data-sovereignty protections, applies NAGPRA rules and reburial/co-stewardship authorities for cultural items and remains, and directs interim and final reports with implementation recommendations.

• Establishes a six-year Truth and Healing Commission in the legislative branch to investigate Federal Indian boarding school policies and their long-term impacts.
• Requires collection of testimony and records and creation of a public, searchable database of documents related to boarding schools.
• Creates two federal advisory committees (Native American and Federal & Religious) and a Survivors Subcommittee to guide the Commission's work.
• Grants the Commission subpoena power, access to Federal records, confidentiality protections, and tribal data-sovereignty safeguards.
• Affirms that NAGPRA applies to cultural items related to Indian boarding schools and authorizes reburial and co-stewardship arrangements for remains and cemeteries.
• Directs an interim report at 3 years and a final report at 6 years with recommendations and an implementation plan, including funding proposals.
• Exempts the advisory committees from the Federal Advisory Committee Act and provides some FOIA/Privacy Act exemptions for the Federal & Religious committee.
• Prohibits federal employees from serving as Commissioners and sets nomination and appointment processes involving congressional leaders and tribal nominations.
• Does not create a private right of action for administrative or judicial relief in the Act's provisions.