Tim Scott: “Mr. Speaker, this bill enjoys bipartisan support. The current law prohibits employees from the Bureau of Indian Affairs…”

“Mr. Speaker, this bill enjoys bipartisan support. The current law prohibits employees from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service from entering into contracts with Indians or their families for the purchase, transportation or delivery of goods or services. It also prohibits these employees from engaging in any purchase or sale of services with the property of any Indian. When first passed in the 1980's, the legislation was designed to prevent Federal employees who were involved in administering programs to help Indians from taking advantage of the Indians they were supposed to be helping. While it was well-intentioned when passed, today the law appears to be outdated and has the negative effect of making it harder for Indian Health Services to recruit and retain good medical employees for remote reservations because those employees' spouses are prohibited from trading with local Indians. Mr. Speaker, passing this bill will not diminish in any way the ethnical standards because the people involved will still be covered by all of the ethics in Government regulations. The counterpart legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent last year, and I urge Members to support the measure.”