Montana hearing draws broad tribal, legal and health support to remove sunset on state Indian Child Welfare law

Sen. Jonathan Windiboy, sponsor and a member of the Senate from District 16, opened a hearing in the House Committee on Human Services on Senate Bill 147 seeking to remove the 2025 sunset from the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act and to make related statutory refinements.

Proponents representing multiple tribal governments, legal organizations and health providers urged the committee to give SB 147 a due pass. Alissa Snow, representing the Blackfeet Tribe, Fort Belknap Indian Community and Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, told the committee the tribes ‘‘stand here today in strong support of Senate Bill 147’’ and said the law requires state child and family services to consult with tribal nations on placement of Indigenous children. Marci McLean of the ACLU of Montana summarized state data in the hearing record, saying that ‘‘Indian children represent 12% of the population but constitute over 30% of the children in foster care’’ and are removed ‘‘3.2 times higher than non-native children.’’

Why the bill matters: supporters said Montana-specific statutory language is needed in addition to the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to provide detailed guidance for social…