{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/thune-johnson-introduce-bill-protect-south-dakota-workers-and-support-small", "Thune, Johnson Introduce Bill to Protect South Dakota Workers and Support Small Businesses", "2023-04-25", "2023", "2023-04", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Dusty Johnson", "J000301", "dustyjohnson.house.gov", "dustyjohnson", "https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) recently introduced the Employee Rights Act of 2023, legislation that would modernize labor policies in order to match the needs of the 21st century worker and workforce. The bill would promote growth and innovation, protect workers rather than union bosses, and allow Americans to take home more of their hard-earned money.\n\n\u201cWashington Democrats have long bowed to the demands of union bosses by prioritizing radical labor policies that harm small businesses and workers,\u201d said Thune. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this common-sense bill that upholds individuals\u2019 ability to choose to work as an independent contractor and ensures workers\u2019 rights are protected against coercion from union bosses and the Biden administration\u2019s heavy-handed labor agenda.\u201d\n\n\u201cSouth Dakota is a right-to-work state, and I\u2019m proud to be a part of legislative efforts to ensure South Dakota workers\u2019 ability to make their own decision to join a union,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cThe Employee Rights Act protects worker privacy, guarantees secret ballot elections, and protects tribal businesses from National Labor Relations Board intervention. These provisions are commonsense.\u201d\n\nThe bill was led by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) and cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), James Comer (R-Ky.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Bob Good (R-Va.), Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.), Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Austin Scott (R-Ga.), Randy Weber (R-Texas), and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.).\n\nThe Employee Rights Act would:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T23:44:29Z"]], "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/thune-johnson-introduce-bill-protect-south-dakota-workers-and-support-small"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.711960019543767, "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"}