The 59th Oklahoma Legislature’s phantom special session will flit in and out of the Capitol later this month in a second attempt to overturn two of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s vetoes.
The Senate expects to meet July 24 for a second vote on overriding Senate Bill 26x and to take up an override of House Bill 1005x for the first time.
If the Senate succeeds in overriding SB 26x, the House will take it up on July 31, according to House Minority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City.
Technically, the Oklahoma Legislature has been in special session since May 17, but the two chambers have met only one day each since May 26.
The House has already voted to override HB 1005x.
The two bills, which would extend the tribal tobacco and motor vehicle registration compacts that are due to expire this year until Dec. 31, 2024, are part of the Legislature’s and governor’s long-running disagreement about the state’s handling of Indian affairs.
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Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a critic of Stitt’s sometimes confrontational tactics, entered the arena this month by asking the Legislature to give him authority to represent the state in a legal wrangle over gaming compacts. Oklahoma is currently represented by a Washington law firm.
Stitt argues that only the governor has the authority to negotiate compacts and has tried to bring pressure against Republican lawmakers to let his vetoes of the two bills stand.
Lawmakers are concerned that Stitt will allow the compacts to expire, resulting in a loss of revenue.
May 19, 2023 video. The compacts could possibly extend beyond Gov. Stitt's final term in office.
Stitt has offered the 14 tribes whose compacts expire this year a one-year extension, the same as in SB 26x and HB 1005x, but on the condition the tribes do not assert jurisdiction beyond current limits.
Stitt says he is concerned that some tribes, because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that some Oklahoma Indian reservations were never dissolved, will try to broaden their taxing authority.
Under House and Senate rules, overrides require two-thirds majorities of the seats in both chambers. As a practical matter, that means only “yes” votes matter; not voting is the same as a “no” vote.
The Senate on June 26 came up one vote short of the 32 it needed to override SB 26x. There were eight “no” votes — all eight from Republicans — and nine not voting.
The House overrode HB 1005x on June 12 by a vote of 74-11 with 16 not voting and 68 votes required. All opposition came from Republicans.
Technically, the Legislature has been in special session since May 17, but the two chambers have met only one day each since May 26.
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