Federal Indian Boarding School Research Program

In 2022, the general assembly enacted House Bill 22-1327, which created the federal Indian boarding school research program (program) in the state historical society, commonly known as history Colorado. House Bill 22-1327 required the program to conduct research regarding the physical abuse and deaths that occurred at federal Indian boarding schools in Colorado and required history Colorado, in consultation with the Colorado commission of Indian affairs, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to develop recommendations to better understand the abuse that occurred and to support healing in tribal communities. Pursuant to the provisions of House Bill 22-1327, the program was repealed on December 31, 2023.

The bill recreates and reenacts the program and appropriates $1 million from the general fund divided in equal annual payments for fiscal years 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 to implement the recommendations developed. The recommendations include:

• The continuation of the program until December 31, 2027;
• Authority for history Colorado, in partnership with the Colorado commission of Indian affairs, to conduct ongoing research and tribal consultations with different tribes and engage in listening sessions with American Indian and Alaska native communities on the history and impact of federal Indian boarding schools in Colorado;
• The collection of oral histories of survivors that highlight indigenous narratives;
• Quarterly updates from history Colorado to the Colorado commission of Indian affairs;
• Developing further recommendations to the general assembly to address the impact of federal, state, and local schooling systems on native communities;
• Developing further recommendations to the Colorado department of education and Colorado department of higher education to support education for native communities;
• Developing further recommendations to the Colorado department of human services and other state agencies on how to address the health, mental health, economic, and other impacts of the boarding school system; and
• Funding for 2 term-limited FTE to support the recommendations.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)