Rokita Introduces Bill To Raise Penalties For Disturbing Native American Sites

Republican Representative for Indiana Todd Rokita introduced a bill in Congress this week that would increase fines for disturbing Native American historic sites.

The bill would be an amendment to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. It proposes moving the office of enforcement for the act from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And it would increase penalties for disturbing Native American grave sites, specifically through higher fines.

A press release from Rokita cites an incident where archaeologists from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne excavated formal tribal sites as part of the motivation for the bill. The release says the researchers did not notify tribal leaders prior to the excavation, which goes against the federal law.

“No one is above the law, especially researchers and professors who rely on federal funding,” Rokita says in the release. “I have introduced legislation that would hold liberal academics accountable to tribes when they violate federal laws pertaining to Native American graves and funerary objects. It is imperative that we respect the rich history of the Native American culture, which is uniquely American, and give tribes and their deceased the respect they deserve.”

Rokita also supported legislation to end employee protections for tribal casino workers earlier this year. The Associated Press reports the Republican congressman saw a spike in campaign contributions of more than $160,000 from tribal gaming interests after he took up the bill.

The bill proposed this week had four original co-sponsors: Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, Arkansas Rep. Don Young, Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum and Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.