Sponsors (19)
Official title: To establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 3, 2026 by Tom Cole · Last progress February 3, 2026
The bill creates a federally authorized Commission and advisory structure that formally documents boarding‑school harms and expands culturally informed healing, repatriation, and tribal stewardship—but it imposes taxpayer costs, risks retraumatizing survivors, constrains some legal remedies and transparency, and creates ongoing administrative burdens for agencies.
Native American survivors, descendants, and tribal nations gain formal federal recognition and a Congress-established Commission to document Indian boarding school harms and recommend remedies, creating an official record and public acknowledgement of past abuses.
Survivors and communities can access culturally responsive, trauma‑informed healing supports and convenings (including mandated regional meetings), improving geographic and culturally appropriate access to care during and after the investigation.
The bill provides funding authorization and clears program scope so the Commission can operate (staffing, research, outreach) and target records searches and site outreach, enabling an organized federal response to documented harms.
Federal taxpayers and budgets will face new costs (including a $90 million authorization and additional administrative costs) to staff, operate, and respond to the Commission and to implement recommendations.
Survivors and descendants may be retraumatized by testimony, records searches, and public investigation processes despite trauma‑informed requirements, producing psychological harm for some participants.
The bill bars private lawsuits over certain actions while federal findings could still prompt demands for compensation or enforcement, creating a complex accountability landscape where remedies may be limited or inconsistent and potential government liability could arise.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Creates a Truth and Healing Commission to investigate Indian boarding school policies, collect records/testimony, advise repatriation/reburial, and recommend federal healing actions.
Creates a legislative Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies to investigate, document, and report the histories and long-term harms of Indian boarding schools and related federal policies. The Commission will gather testimony and records, develop recommendations for federal action, promote culturally informed healing for survivors and descendants, and be supported by two advisory committees representing Native communities and federal/religious institutions. The bill defines covered terms (including what counts as an Indian boarding school and what constitutes Indian Boarding School Policies), requires agencies to cooperate on repatriation and cemetery stewardship under NAGPRA, and sets governance rules for Commission membership, advisory committee structure, terms, compensation, meetings, and termination timelines. It does not create a private right of action and interprets NAGPRA to apply to boarding-school–related cultural items.