What Does TERO Do?

 

TERO is responsible for enforcing the Acoma TERO Ordinance which has been authorized by the Acoma Tribal Government to:

 

SET CONDITIONS:

That mandates the Tribal requirements for Native American preference that all covered Contractors/Employers must comply with in order to be eligible to perform work on or near tribal lands.

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ESTABLISH AUTHORITY:

That empowers the TERO Staff with sufficient authority to fully enforce all provisions of Acoma TERO Ordinance.

 

​ASSIGN RESPONSIBILITY:

That defines and describes the duties and responsibilities of the TERO staff.

 

DELINEATE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS:

That clearly spells out penalties Contractors/Employers may face for violations of  Tribal law.

 

PROVIDE DUE PROCESS:

That provides principles of legal fairness to all parties involved in compliance or violation dispute issue.

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What is the legal basis for TERO?

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A Tribe’s authority to enact and enforce an Indian/Native employment preference law is grounded in its inherent sovereign status. This legal doctrine is the most basic principle of Indian law and is supported by a host of Supreme Court decisions. Inherent sovereign powers derive from the principle that certain powers do not necessarily come from delegated powers granted by express acts of Congress, but are inherent powers of a limited sovereign that have never been taken away. Tribes have a basic relationship with the federal government as sovereign powers. This is recognized in both treaties and federal statutes. The sovereignty of tribes has been limited from time to time by treaties and federal legislation; however, what have not been expressly limited remains within tribal sovereignty.