- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY — On Monday July 31, the Oklahoma House of Representatives preserved an extension on existing tribal compacts regarding tribal tobacco revenues through December 2024, overriding an attempted veto by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt.
Stitt’s veto came after Oklahoma legislators passed a bill, HB1005, to extend existing compacts during negotiations with tribes on amendments and renewal of said compacts, per prior Native News Online reporting.
Oklahoma legislators took immediate exception to Stitt’s veto, threatening to take Stitt’s place in compact negotiations as a result of “bad faith” negotiations.
Make A Monthly Donation Here
An initial attempt to override the veto in the House, which requires a two-thirds majority for an override, failed in late June. Subsequently, the Oklahoma Senate rallied to pass the override and sent the bill back to the House for a vote Monday, where it passed 74-11.
House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said the override was necessary to avoid “harmful effects on the state budget and facilitate further conversations regarding the compacts,” per an Oklahoma House of Representatives statement.
“Extending the compacts in their current form while tribal and state leaders consider any alternative agreements is our best option to keep this important revenue stream available and avoid potentially harmful effects on the state budget,” McCall said in the statement. “Recently, a number of conversations between state and tribal leaders regarding the compacts have taken place, sparked in large part due to the introduction of these compact bills in their original form. The House, in passing this legislation, is exercising their proper authority in the compacting process and we look forward to continued conversations until a new long-term deal is struck."
HB1005 now returns to the Senate for final passage.
More Stories Like This
A Notable Victory for Justice in Case of Murdered Pit River Tribal CitizenCall for Entire Ninth Circuit Rehearing of Apache Stronghold to Vindicate Tribal Nations’ Land-based Religious Practices
Newland Touts Biden's Investing in America Agenda at Bison Release at Taos Pueblo
Photos of the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe’s Powwow
NCAI President Calls for Indigenous Participation in United Nations
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
