1. United States
2. Minn.
3. Letter

Support MIFPA 2024 Amendments! SF 4480 HF 4838 Last year 2023, Minnesota law makers overwhelmingly voted to strengthen the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act. We are so grateful for your commitment and support for our Minnesota Tribes and urban Native American communities. Native American children in Minnesota are 16 times more likely to be placed out of home than white children in child protection. Minnesota is top of the list for disparities for Native American Children. The 2024 MIFPA Ammendments continue to strengthen the protection for Native American children and families. We believe the new ammendments are in the best interest of Native American children and interwoven with the best interests of Tribes. Those of us that work in the field of Native American Child Welfare are beginning to see positive changes that are encouraging. For example UMD and their Tribal Training and Certification Partnership who has been training scores of social workers. The creation of specialized ICWA Courts. ICWA Social Workers. Tribal involvement on cases. The creation of a specialized ICWA Guardian ad Litem Division. We need your continued support and ask that you hear this in Committee and move the bill forward. Thank you