Montana bill to reauthorize state ICWA moves toward final approval after House strips additional provisions

Senate Bill 147, a proposal to keep Montana’s 2023 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) on the books permanently, moved through the Legislature this spring after the House removed several additional provisions that had been added in the Senate.

Brooke Barker Taylor, an assistant attorney general with the Montana Department of Justice, told the Montana ICWA Community of Practice on Zoom that SB 147 originally reauthorized the 2023 law and included several amendments the bill sponsor had proposed to strengthen the child welfare system. "One of the amendments was going to allow tribes and prospective guardians or adoptive parents to enter into what was termed heritage guidance plans to allow an opportunity to provide prospective parents resources to ensure that Indian children stay connected to their culture, community, tribe, and family," Barker Taylor said. She said the Senate…