Federal

Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov · 415 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill changes the National Labor Relations Act to clarify how it applies to American Indian tribes and Indian-owned businesses on tribal lands. The bill adds definitions for Indian tribes, Indians and Indian lands to the labor law.

Who It Affects

Indian tribes, Indian tribe members, enterprises and institutions owned and operated by Indian tribes, and workers employed by those tribal businesses.

Key Provisions

• Indian tribes and enterprises or institutions owned and operated by Indian tribes and located on their Indian lands are added to the definition of "employer" under the National Labor Relations Act (Sec. 2) • "Indian tribe" is defined as any Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo or other organized group or community recognized as eligible for special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians (Sec. 2) • "Indian" is defined as any individual who is a member of an Indian tribe (Sec. 2) • "Indian lands" is defined to include all lands within Indian reservation limits, lands held in trust by the United States for Indian tribes or individuals, lands held by Indian tribes or individuals with restrictions against sale, and certain lands in Oklahoma within boundaries of former reservations of federally recognized Indian tribes (Sec. 2)

What Changes

The National Labor Relations Act will explicitly recognize Indian tribes and Indian-owned businesses operating on tribal lands as employers under the law.

Important Definitions

Indian tribe, Indian, Indian lands.

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 937 To clarify the rights of Indians and Indian tribes on Indian lands under the National Labor Relations Act. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 9, 2023 Mr. MOOLENAAR (for himself, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. COLE, and Mrs. LESKO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce A BILL To clarify the rights of Indians and Indian tribes on Indian lands under the National Labor Relations Act. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tribal Labor Sov- 4 ereignty Act of 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF EMPLOYER. 6 Section 2 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 7 U.S.C. 152) is amended— 8 (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or any In- 9 dian tribe, or any enterprise or institution owned 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:24 Mar 02, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H937.IH H937 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 937 IH and operated by an Indian tribe and located on its 1 Indian lands,’’ after ‘‘subdivision thereof,’’; and 2 (2) by adding at the end the following: 3 ‘‘(15) The term ‘Indian tribe’ means any Indian 4 tribe, band, nation, pueblo, or other organized group 5 or community which is recognized as eligible for the 6 special programs and services provided by the 7 United States to Indians because of their status as 8 Indians. 9 ‘‘(16) The term ‘Indian’ means any individual 10 who is a member of an Indian tribe. 11 ‘‘(17) The term ‘Indian lands’ means— 12 ‘‘(A) all lands within the limits of any In- 13 dian reservation; 14 ‘‘(B) any lands title to which is either held 15 in trust by the United States for the benefit of 16 any Indian tribe or Indian or held by any In- 17 dian tribe or Indian subject to restriction by the 18 United States against alienation; and 19 ‘‘(C) any lands in the State of Oklahoma 20 that are within the boundaries of a former res- 21 ervation (as defined by the Secretary of the In- 22 terior) of a federally recognized Indian tribe.’’. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:24 Mar 02, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H937.IH H937 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.