Rounds’ RESPECT Act Signed into Law

December 28, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C.–South Dakota U.S. Senator Mike Rounds’ bipartisan legislation to repeal discriminatory federal laws targeting Native Americans was signed into law by the president Tuesday.

The so-called RESPECT Act will repeal 11 outdated federal laws, including laws that stripped Native American children from their families for the purpose of placing them in “Indian reform schools.”

Rounds says, “it’s long overdue to remove these immoral, discriminatory federal laws from our books. Throughout history, Native Americans have been subjected to unfair treatment from our federal government, including the forced removal of their children from their homes. Clearly, there is no place in our legal code for such measures.”

J. Garret Renville, Chairman-elect of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, says the RESPECT Act is, ” a first step in an attempt to better consult and coordinate with Tribal Nations.”