Forum News Service - Obama Signs New Law for Native American Children

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By Amy Dalrymple

President Obama signed new legislation on Friday, Oct. 14, that aims to improve the lives of Native American children, the first bill Sen. Heidi Heitkamp introduced.

The bill creates a Commission on Native Children that will study programs available for Native American children and identify solutions to address obstacles facing the youth such as lower high school graduation rates and increased risks of suicide.

"There is a whole group of children in this country who have been neglected far too long," said Heitkamp, D-N.D.

Heitkamp, who first introduced the bill in 2013 with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said there are federal programs that address housing, education, health care and other areas, but those often work separately instead of in coordination.

"We've got to stop looking at these problems from a silo," Heitkamp said. "All across the board in the federal system, each agency has a little piece of this. It has led to, I think, disjointed programming that has really frustrated the tribes themselves."

Obama applauded Heitkamp's efforts and said Friday that his administration will begin seeking appointments for the commission.

"I look forward to seeing the commission's work in the years to come -- work that will help ensure all our young people can reach their full potential," Obama said in a statement.

The commission will study the existing programs and identify ways to coordinate and use resources more effectively. The group, which will produce a report in three years, also will develop better ways to collect data about Native American youth and identify best practices that can be adopted in other communities.

"We keep doing the same thing over and over again in Indian country and expecting a different result," Heitkamp said. "We just need to figure out where the resources are going and how they can be better deployed and what we can do that's going to change outcomes."

The 11-member commission, to be appointed by the president and leaders in the House and Senate, will include experts in juvenile justice, social work, education and mental and physical health.
Russ McDonald, president of United Tribes Technical College and former chairman of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, testified in support of the legislation. McDonald said he likes that it's a data-driven initiative to find solutions to help native youth who face higher rates of poverty and other socioeconomic issues.

"By doing this, you're able to see if there's gaps within that system," McDonald said.

Dr. Tami DeCoteau, a clinical psychologist in Bismarck who specializes in trauma-informed care, said she treats many Native American children in the foster care system who have suffered multiple types of trauma, such as traumatic separation, grief and other incidents.

"That really influences how they function in all areas of their life," she said.

DeCoteau said she hopes the commission's work will help leaders understand how historical trauma affects Native American children and identify strategies to make progress with that population.

"Once more people see that in quantifiable data, it will evoke the compassion and humanity and the common sense and more people will support programs for Indian children," she said.

The Commission is named in honor of Alyce Spotted Bear, who was an educator and former tribal chairwoman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, and Walter Soboleff from Alaska's Tlingit tribe.

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