Tribal Sovereignty and National Security

Statement

Last week, the House passed several pieces of legislation that are critical to tribal lands, the private sector, and our national security.

On Tuesday, the House passed H.R. 511, the Tribal Sovereignty Act by a 249-177 vote. This bill adds tribes to the list of entities that are excluded from the definition of employer for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The change essentially codifies a previous National Labor Relations Board standard that excludes any enterprise or institution owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on its land from being considered an employer so that tribes would be treated in a manner similar to state and local governments under the NLRA.

On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 1210, the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act, by a 255-174 vote. H.R. 1210 creates a legal safe harbor for creditors that are depository institutions for failure to comply with "ability-to-repay" requirements created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act if the creditor has, since originating the loan or intends to upon consummation, hold the loan on its balance sheet until repayment and meets certain other requirements.

The House also passed H.R. 1737, the Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act, by a 332-96 vote. H.R. 1737 nullifies a bulletin published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that provides guidance to lenders who finance automobiles through a dealership in compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). The bill also directs the CFPB, to follow a course of transparency when issuing consumer vehicle financial guidance and regulatory clarity for small businesses.

On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 3189, the Fed Oversight Reform and Modernization (FORM) Act of 2015, by a 241-185 vote. H.R. 3189 makes a variety of changes to the Federal Reserve (Fed) system in an effort to increase transparency regarding Fed Monetary policy decision making, systemically important financial institutions stress testing, and restrict the Fed's emergency lending authority, among other reforms.

On Thursday, the House also passed H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act of 2015, by a 289-137 vote. The SAFE prohibits the admission to the United States of refugees from Iraq and Syria unless the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation certifies to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Director of National Intelligence that such an alien has received a background investigation sufficient to determine whether the alien is a threat to the security of the United States.

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