Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program Act

Summary

On September 17, 2025, the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a markup session to consider six bills affecting labor and retirement policy. The bills included H.R. 1723 (Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act), which would exclude Indian tribes and tribal enterprises from National Labor Relations Act requirements; H.R. 2958 (Balance the Scales Act), requiring the Labor Department to notify employers when providing information that could be used in litigation against them; H.R. 2869 (EBSA Investigations Transparency Act); H.R. 2844 (Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program Act); H.R. 3495 (Direct Seller and Real Estate Agent Harmonization Act); and H.R. 5169 (Retire through Ownership Act), which would clarify valuation rules for Employee Stock Ownership Plans. The committee approved five of the six bills on party-line votes of 19-16. H.R. 5169 passed unanimously 35-0, indicating broader bipartisan support for ESOP valuation clarity. H.R. 1723 faced opposition from labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, which argued it would deny National Labor Relations Act protections to hundreds of thousands of workers at tribal enterprises. Supporters contended the bill would respect tribal sovereignty by treating tribes similarly to state and local governments under federal labor law. The markup session, held in Room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building, involved amendments to several bills before committee votes. Passage in committee does not guarantee these bills will advance to the full House for consideration.

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