Articles
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Law & Principles
Senate sustains Stitt veto on tribal compacts—for now
By a one-vote margin, members of the Oklahoma Senate have voted to sustain Gov. Kevin Stitt’s veto of a legislatively drafted state-tribal compact on tobacco taxes.Ray Carter | June 26, 2023
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Law & Principles
Tribe uses vehicle revenue for political activity
A Cherokee Nation budget document obtained by OCPA indicates that, in addition to using money from vehicle registration and car tags for schools and roads, some of the money goes for political activity.Ray Carter | June 23, 2023
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Even without compacts, state will collect taxes
Some believe that all the revenue being collected through tribal compacts would disappear if the tobacco compacts expired. That is not correct. Even without compacts, the state will collect taxes.Jonathan Small, Curtis Shelton & Ryan Haynie | June 23, 2023
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Law & Principles
Groups across the political spectrum support students in free-speech lawsuit against OSU
The organization Speech First says OSU’s harassment, computer, and bias-incidents policies violate students’ constitutional rights. Several organizations from across the political spectrum are urging the court to preserve the plaintiff students’ anonymity.Ray Carter | June 19, 2023
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Law & Principles
Legislative compact expands tribe’s territory 109,000 percent
Because of a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, new state-tribal tobacco compacts drafted by state legislators could provide a gargantuan expansion of tribal territory. That change could result in hundreds of millions in existing state tax collections shifting to the control of a small sliver of tribal officials over time, and force non-Native Oklahomans to shoulder a larger tax burden to make up the difference.Ray Carter | June 15, 2023
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Law & Principles
Tribal chiefs chosen by few tribal members
Election results suggest that Gov. Kevin Stitt received far more raw votes from American Indian voters than the combined number of tribal citizens who have cast votes in favor of the elected chiefs of five major tribes.Ray Carter | June 14, 2023
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Law & Principles
Oklahoma Democrats praise Republicans’ veto override
The Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted to override Gov. Kevin Stitt’s veto of legislation that would automatically renew existing state-tribal compacts that provide special breaks on the cost of car tags to Oklahomans based, to a large degree, on the owner’s race.Ray Carter | June 12, 2023
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Law & Principles
Stitt defends rule of law from tribal tax collectors
Oklahoma taxpayers can thank both Stitt and the Framers of American government for a system where executives have the power to negotiate deals—and to veto bills that try to interfere with that power.Trent England | June 7, 2023
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Law & Principles
Renewing tobacco, car-tag compacts bad for Oklahoma
Special-interest attempts to force automatic renewal of existing tobacco and license-tag compacts will create enormous challenges for the state.Jonathan Small | June 5, 2023
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Law & Principles
What is the Oklahoma Supreme Court doing?
Abolishing the JNC and moving to the model formulated by James Madison would inject more accountability into the judicial system while maintaining the separation of powers so vital to the republican form of government.Ryan Haynie | June 1, 2023