[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1943 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1943

 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat for unemployment 
 compensation purposes Indian tribal governments the same as State or 
        local units of government or as nonprofit organizations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 26, 1999

 Mr. Shadegg introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat for unemployment 
 compensation purposes Indian tribal governments the same as State or 
        local units of government or as nonprofit organizations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Indian Tribal Government 
Unemployment Compensation Act Tax Relief Amendments of 1999''.

SEC. 2. CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY.

    The Constitutional authority upon which this Act rests is the power 
of Congress to lay and collect taxes and to regulate commerce with 
foreign nations and among the several States and with the Indian 
tribes, as set forth in section 8 of Article I of the United States 
Constitution.

SEC. 3. TREATMENT OF INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS UNDER FEDERAL 
              UNEMPLOYMENT TAX ACT.

    (a) In General.--Section 3306(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 (defining employment) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``or in the employ of an Indian tribe,'' 
        after ``service performed in the employ of a State, or any 
        political subdivision thereof,''; and
            (2) by inserting ``or Indian tribes'' after ``wholly owned 
        by one or more States or political subdivisions''.
    (b) Payments in Lieu of Contributions.--Section 3309 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to State law coverage of 
services performed for nonprofit organizations or governmental 
entities) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2) by inserting ``, including an 
        Indian tribe,'' after ``the State law shall provide that a 
        governmental entity'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(3)(B) by inserting ``, or of an 
        Indian tribe'' after ``of a State or political subdivision 
        thereof'';
            (3) in subsection (b)(3)(E) by inserting ``or the tribe's'' 
        after ``the State''; and
            (4) in subsection (b)(5) by inserting ``or of an Indian 
        tribe'' after ``an agency of a State or political subdivision 
        thereof''.
    (c) State Law Coverage.--Section 3309 of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 (relating to State law coverage of services performed for 
nonprofit organizations or governmental entities) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Election by Indian Tribe.--The State law shall provide that 
an Indian tribe may elect to make contributions for employment as if 
the employment is within the meaning of section 3306 or to make 
payments in lieu of contributions under this section, and shall provide 
that an Indian tribe may make separate elections for itself and each 
subdivision, subsidiary, or business enterprise chartered and wholly 
owned by such Indian tribe. State law may require an electing tribe to 
post a payment bond or take other reasonable measures to assure the 
making of payments in lieu of contributions under this section. An 
election under this subsection may not be made except by an Indian 
tribe within the meaning of section 4(e) of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).''.
    (d) Definitions.--Section 3306 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(relating to definitions) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection:
    ``(u) Indian Tribe.--For purposes of this chapter, the term `Indian 
tribe' has the meaning given to such term by section 4(e) of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)), 
and includes any subdivision, subsidiary, or business enterprise 
chartered and wholly owned by such an Indian tribe.''
    (e) Transition Rule.--For purposes of the Federal Unemployment Tax 
Act, service performed in the employ of an Indian tribe (as defined in 
section 3306(u) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by this 
Act)) shall not be treated as employment (within the meaning of section 
3306 of such Code) if--
            (1) it is service which is performed before the date of 
        enactment of this Act and with respect to which the tax imposed 
        under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act has not been paid; and
            (2) such Indian tribe reimburses a State unemployment fund 
        for unemployment benefits paid for service attributable to such 
        tribe for such period.
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