Tribes seek share of turnpike revenue

Outrageous:

TRIBES SEEK SHARE OF TURNPIKE REVENUE

Ray Carter | May 22nd, 2024

Because many tribal car tags are effectively unregistered with the state of Oklahoma, drivers with tribal tags have run up millions of dollars in unpaid tolls on state turnpikes in recent months that cannot be collected.

Now a tribal official says tribes are willing to end that problem—but only if the Oklahoma state government agrees to divert potentially millions of dollars in turnpike revenue to tribal governments, effectively negating any financial benefit from the collection of tolls on drivers with tribal tags.

Tribal vehicle registration/tag revenue used for political activity

TRIBE USES VEHICLE REVENUE FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITY

by Ray Carter | June 23, 2023

Even though state-tribal compacts on vehicle registration and car tags ultimately result in millions of dollars being diverted from Oklahoma state government to the control of a small group of tribal government leaders, defenders of the compacts often claim the agreements benefit the state because the money is used for education and transportation.

But Cherokee Nation budget documents obtained by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs indicate that the tribe at least considered, and may have used, vehicle revenue for political activity.

The Cherokee Nation acknowledges that some money generated by its motor-tag compacts with the state of Oklahoma has been used for electoral activity, but the amount of money tribal officials say was spent and the uses made of that money differ dramatically from the amounts and uses outlined in a tribal budget document provided by a whistleblower.

Seminole chief responds to AG Hunter's proposal for state-tribal relations

Seminole Nation Chief releases statement regarding Attorney General Mike Hunter’s proposed path forward for Oklahoma and the Five Tribes 

 
Wewoka, Okla. (Oct. 22, 2020) - Seminole Nation Chief Greg P. Chilcoat issued the following statement today in response to Attorney General Mike Hunter’s October 21 proposal in the aftermath of McGirt.
 
“While the Seminole Nation appreciates the sentiment of consensus building and intergovernmental cooperation upon which we believe Attorney General Mike Hunter’s proposal was premised, we oppose the recommendation for Congressional authorization of state-tribal criminal jurisdiction compacts. By way of example, the Seminole Nation, like all the Five Tribes, already has a state-tribal agreement on criminal justice in the area of policing through cross-deputization. These intergovernmental agreements demonstrate the effectiveness of existing state-tribal government-to-government cooperation and coordination, absent Congressional action.

Seminole Nation: we weren't involved in agreement-in-principle announced by other tribes

Seminole Nation chief releases statement regarding principles of jurisdiction announcement from tribes impacted by McGirt v. Oklahoma 

Wewoka, Okla. (July 17, 2020) - Seminole Nation Chief Greg P. Chilcoat issued the following statement today after the tribes impacted by the McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling released a set of principles on jurisdiction following last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Oklahoma, state's largest tribes release joint statement on landmark SCOTUS decision

State, Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole Nations Release Joint Statement in Response to SCOTUS Decision in McGirt Case

OKLAHOMA CITY – The State of Oklahoma, Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole Nations released the following joint statement today following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the McGirt v. Oklahoma case. 

The State, the Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole Nations have made substantial progress toward an agreement to present to Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice addressing and resolving any significant jurisdictional issues raised by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

Governor Stitt, Seminole Nation agree to one-year tobacco compact extension

GOVERNOR AGRESS TO ONE-YEAR EXTENSION WITH SEMINOLE NATION ON TOBACCO COMPACT

Oklahoma City, Okla. (Jan. 3, 2020) – Governor Kevin Stitt announced today that the State of Oklahoma has agreed to a one-year extension with Seminole Nation on a Tobacco Tax Compact.

“The Tobacco Tax Compact is an agreement between the State and the Seminole Nation that the two sovereigns will split evenly the tax revenue generated from the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at the Nation’s business locations,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The Tobacco Tax Compact between the State of Oklahoma and the Seminole Nation was constituted in November 2013 under the Fallin administration. The compact establishes a Compact Tax rate of 100 percent of the State tax rate on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The state will collect the Compact Tax directly from the wholesalers, and then the State will remit back to the Seminole Nation 50 percent of all Compact Taxes collected. The one-year extension maintains current compact terms and adjusts the expiration date to Dec. 31, 2020.

A copy of the compact can be read here.

Over the past year, the Governor signed a total of five extensions for the State on various tribal compacts, with the other four as follows:

• The State of Oklahoma and Cherokee Nation signed a 1-year extension on a hunting and fishing compact, which can be read here.
• The State of Oklahoma and Choctaw Nation signed a 1-year extension on a hunting and fishing compact, which can be read here.
• The State of Oklahoma and the Kialegee Tribal Town signed an 8-month extension on the Model Gaming Compact, which can be read here.
• The State of Oklahoma and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians signed an 8-month extension on the Model Gaming Compact, which can be read here.