Native American tribes in Oklahoma will keep tobacco deals, as lawmakers override governor's veto

Source: Associated Press

Native American tribes in Oklahoma will keep tobacco deals, as lawmakers override governor’s veto

BY SEAN MURPHY
Updated 4:37 PM EDT, July 31, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Native American tribes in Oklahoma will get to keep their existing agreements on how they share money from tobacco sales with the state.

The Oklahoma House voted on Monday to override Gov. Kevin Stitt’s veto of a bill that extends agreements on selling tobacco for another year. In a bipartisan vote during a special session, the Republican-controlled House met the two-thirds vote needed to override. The Senate overrode the governor’s veto last week.

As a result, any tribe with an existing agreement on tobacco sales can opt to extend the terms of that agreement until Dec. 31, 2024. Leaders from several of the state’s most powerful tribes were in the gallery for Monday’s vote.

The override is the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the Republican governor and several Oklahoma-based tribes. Stitt, himself a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has said he wants to adjust the compact language to make sure tribes don’t expand where they sell tobacco as a result of a landmark 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s historical reservation still existed.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/tribal-compacts-oklahoma-tobacco-native-americans-348dc7d1f4e9c4c2a7b52a531f4576a5