A Senate bill on Indian health care that is expected to pass by the end of this month could contain a formal apology from the U.S. government for mistreatment of American Indians.

The bill was initially introduced by Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback in 2004.

“For too much of our history, federal-tribal relations have been marked by broken treaties, mistreatment and dishonorable dealings,� Brownback, a Republican, said in an article by the Associated Press. “We can acknowledge our past failures, express sincere regrets and establish a brighter future for all Americans.�

The 2004 annual report of the National Congress of American Indians said tribal leaders welcomed the resolution. However, leaders were concerned about the approach to “such a monumental task as addressing the nation’s past wrongs to native people.�

Dwaine Perry, chief of the Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation, a tribe that lives primarily in Hillburn, and in Ringwood and Mahwah, N.J., says the proposed apology is a beginning, but more “systemic action� was needed.

“It’s certainly long overdue and I’m wondering what motivated this move,� Perry said today. “I’m not at all ungrateful. I think any light on the situation is positive, but I think one needs to be cynical after 500 plus years.�

Earlier this month, Aborigines in Australia welcomed what was viewed as a long-overdue formal apology from the government. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized for assimilation policies that degraded indigenous people. Aborigines felt that Rudd’s apology helped ease the sorrow of “the stolen generations,� referring to the children who were forcibly removed from their families under decades-long government assimilation policies.

Aborigines, the original inhabitants of Australia, believe the apology sets the tone for moving forward to repair the harm done to them.

Incidentally, Australian media reports indicate Indian Rudd’s approval ratings have soared since the historic apology.