Zinke Votes to Return Sovereignty to Tribes

Today, Congress passed the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015 (249-177 with 24 Democrats joining a majority of Republicans), which rolls back federal agency intervention in tribal affairs in order to restore greater sovereignty to tribes. Congressman Ryan Zinke cosponsored and voted for the measure. The legislation will amend the National Labor Relations Act to affirm that the law does not apply to any business owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on tribal land, restoring to tribal leaders control over employee-employer relations.

“This is about sovereignty, opportunity and respect,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke.  “The federal government already saddles our tribes with burdensome regulations that hamper their ability to achieve the same goals of prosperity and success that we all aspire to. Considering the fact that the NLRB notoriously overreaches in the private sector, imagine what damage they would do to Montana’s tribes. H.R.511 is supported by tribes all across the nation. This bill affirms my strong support for their sovereignty.”

Members of the Native American community have raised concerns about the NLRB’s “increasingly aggressive approach to enforcement,” saying it creates unacceptable risks and uncertainties for all tribal nation rights under federal law and to their dignity as sovereigns, infringes on the ability of tribes to govern activities on their lands and provide vital services to [their] members, and impair[s] tribal sovereignty and the developing economies in Indian country.