SALT LAKE CITY — Michael Slayton was placed in foster care as a child and bounced around from home to home.
"Thirty-two different foster homes and between 12 and 15 group homes for boys," he told FOX 13 News. "I finally found who I am."
Slayton said he would have to explain to classmates he is Native American, but he didn't know who he was "because I don't know."
"I grew up without a place of belonging, without a sense of fitting in, even though I would try," Slayton said. "I would try to fit in with various groups of people. It never felt like I was a part of something."
To prevent other children from growing up like he did, he showed up on Utah's Capitol Hill on Thursday to lobby for House Bill 30. He joined dozens of other Utah tribal community members to push for the bill to get a hearing. The bill, run by House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, would codify a U.S. Supreme Court ruling supporting the Indian Child Welfare Act, which promotes Native American children in welfare cases to be placed with other tribal members or culturally appropriate settings.
"What happened is there are many people that were saying, 'Let's wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to do their ruling.' They did do their ruling. I think there’s some ideology differences with what the Court ruled on," Rep. Romero told FOX 13 News when asked why her bill isn't getting a hearing.
She said her bill isn't breaking new ground.
"We talk about family values here in Utah and we talk about keeping families together," she said. "What my bill does is codify ICWA into Utah law but also take into consideration the tribal communities that exist here."
At a news conference on Thursday, FOX 13 News asked House Speaker Mike Schultz why the bill isn't being heard.
"We view it as more of a duplicative process," he replied. "Not to say that it may not get heard, but as we’ve had initial discussions about it, it’s something the federal government addressed last year."
Tamra Borchardt-Slayton, a leader in the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (and Michael Slayton's wife) has been lobbying for the bill. She said she had been told some lawmakers have concerns about violating Utah's laws blocking diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which she said HB30 would not based on tribal classifications. Borchardt-Slayton said the bill also would help address a big disparity.
"Four to six percent of Native American children are removed from homes and you have to remember in the state of Utah? Native Americans are only 1.6% of the population," Borchardt-Slayton said.
For others attending Thursday's rally, they wanted to ensure Native American children had a place tied to their culture.
"It means that they would still be part of us. They still are," said Elizabeth Pete. "But they’ll know where they belong."
Michael Slayton said it wasn't until he turned 18 that he started discovering his roots and learned his native language and traditions.
"Keeping the families together or at least the children within their own culture can help them with mental health," he said."It can help them with spiritual health and let them know they are where they belong."
