- 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
LA's Largest-Ever Land Back an 'Important Step' in the Movement'It’s happy sad': Two Oyate Boys Leave Carlisle, Others Left Behind
'I just don’t want it to die in front of me' | One Ho-Chunk Man's Mission to Save Ho-Chunk Language
Association on American Indian Affairs Strengthens Executive Leadership with New Hire
California Excluded from Federal MMIP Support, Leaders Pressure Dept. of Justice for Inclusion
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
