Sen. Bernie Sanders plans to include tribes in jobs for every American program

Tuesday, April 24, 2018  

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) is drafting legislation to guarantee a job to every willing American, The Washington Post reports.

According to the paper, Indian Country would be able to participate. Tribal governments, along with state and local governments, would submit public works projects to the Department of Labor for approval.

If a project is approved, funding would be provided to carry out the work. Employees would be paid $15 an hour, the paper said.

Such a program, if it becomes law, could help improve job conditions on and near reservations. According to the 2013 American Indian Population and Labor Force Report, the most recent on the subject, only 49-50 percent, on average, of Indian adults held full-time or part-time jobs. In some places, the rate was far worse.

Sanders, who was extremely popular in Indian Country as he sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, has not said when he will introduce the measure.

In the past, Sanders has introduced pro-tribal legislation, such as a bill to block a copper mine at sacred Oak Flat and an an amendment to require a Dakota Access Pipeline study, but none have been enacted into law.

Read More on the Story:
Bernie Sanders to announce plan to guarantee every American a job (The Washington Post April 23, 2018)