{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://russell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-russell-defends-tribal-sovereignty", "Congressman Russell Defends Tribal Sovereignty", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Steve Russell", "R000604", "russell.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today the House of Representatives debated and voted on H.R. 511  the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act. HR 511 amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that any enterprise or institution owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on its lands does not fall under the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This legislation is intended to preserve tribal sovereignty and provide statutory clarity with respect to NLRB jurisdiction over tribal enterprises.\n\nCongressman Steve Russell (OK-5) spoke on the House floor to offer his support saying, Really, this whole matter in this discussion is pretty simple. Article 1, Section 8: Congress shall have the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes. Explicit language in the Constitution that we all defend and that I have defended since I was 18. It is the purview of this Congress not the rule makers of the National Labor Relations Board to regulate commerce. This nation must continue to recognize the rights of Indian tribal sovereignty. And this Congress must uphold the Constitution and sovereign treaties with those tribes. Those opposed to this bill say that it will take away the rights of workers. As a Representative from Oklahoma, whose 5th district has more than 13% Native Americans, our largest minority, our constituents know that the actions of the rule makers will take away the rights of sovereign tribes. Congress must restore these rights with the passage of this bill.\n\nH.R. 511  The Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act passed by a vote of 249-177.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://russell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-russell-defends-tribal-sovereignty"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.084430005401373, "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"}