Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of S. 140. I strongly support this bill, but I want to speak today about one particular piece of it--the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act--which I helped introduce, along with Mr. Rokita. Mr. Speaker, I often stand in this House to oppose interference from the heavy hand of the Federal Government, and this is no different. In 2004, the National Labor Relations Board, unilaterally, decided that it needed to meddle in the affairs of Tribally owned businesses on Tribal lands. This is a board that was set up to oversee union elections but has become the bureaucratic arm of big labor. By further expanding its jurisdiction, the National Labor Relations Board threatened the foundation of Indian law, the principle of Tribal sovereignty, and the limits of a small Federal Government. Since the Obama administration implemented this incredible government overreach, dozens of Tribes have supported legislation to clarify that the NLRB's jurisdiction does not extend to Tribes. The conservative, small government legislation we consider today would make that necessary correction. Native American Tribes around the country, and especially in my home State of South Dakota, are plagued with grinding poverty, high unemployment, substance abuse, and poor healthcare.…”