{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnson-vasquez-bill-ensures-tribal-children-have-fair-shot-high-quality", "Johnson, Vasquez Bill Ensures Tribal Children Have Fair Shot at High-Quality Education", "2026-03-05", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Dusty Johnson", "J000301", "dustyjohnson.house.gov", "dustyjohnson", "https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) introduced the Parity for Tribal Educators Act to address teacher shortages in Indian country. The legislation would provide teachers at tribally controlled schools the same federal retirement benefits that teachers at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools receive, ensuring tribal students have equal access to educational opportunity.\n\n\u201cTribal educators are doing the same work as their Bureau of Indian Affairs counterparts. They should have access to the same retirement programs. The Parity for Tribal Educators Act fixes that disparity and would help recruit and retain tribal educators,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for Rep. Vasquez\u2019s partnership on this issue to improve the quality of education tribal schools across America.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis bill is about doing right by our Tribal communities, overcoming recruitment and retention issues, and making sure every child in New Mexico has a fair shot at success,\u201d said Vasquez. \u201cGiving Tribal teachers the benefits they deserve helps keep Tribal schools staffed with quality educators \u2013 the type of quality educators who help Tribal students unlock their brightest futures possible.\u201d\n\nThe Parity for Tribal Educators Act is endorsed by National Indian Education Association and the National Congress of American Indians.\n\n\u201cWe appreciate Congressman Johnson\u2019s leadership in supporting this legislation. For too long, tribal schools have faced inequities in retirement benefits. This bill will help tribally controlled schools in South Dakota recruit and retain the talented teachers our students deserve,\u201d said Cecilia Firethunder, President of the Oglala Lakota Nation Education Coalition.\n\n\u201cThe National Indian Education Association supports the Parity for Tribal Educators Act. We appreciate the leadership of Representatives Gabe Vasquez and Dusty Johnson in advancing legislation that strengthens teacher retention in tribally controlled schools and helps ensure educators receive equitable, high-quality employment benefits,\u201d saidJason Dropik, Executive Director of the National Indian Education Association.", 1, "2026-05-07T13:38:59Z", "2026-05-07T13:40:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnson-vasquez-bill-ensures-tribal-children-have-fair-shot-high-quality"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9727771393954754, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}