The Montana Indian Child Welfare Act (MICWA) is modeled after the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a federal law passed in 1978 which established basic requirements to protect Native American children from continued forced removal from their families, tribes, and tribal culture.
MICWA is part of a growing movement to adopt ICWA standards at the state level and increase protections for Native youth. The bill aims to ensure that Native American children can access their cultural identity, language, and heritage.
Notably, MICWA is supported by every tribal council in Montana, as well as the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council. (See the attached PDFs, below.)
TAKE ACTION: Use this tool to find your Montana state legislators and tell them to SUPPORT MICWA by calling 406-444-4800 or contacting your legislators online.
