Senate overrides Stitt's vetoes on tribal compact extension bills

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Senate returned to the Capitol in special session on Monday to narrowly override two of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s vetoes of tribal compact extension bills.

The Senate mustered 34 of the 32 needed votes to override the veto of Senate Bill 26x, which would extend for a year the tribes' tobacco compacts, and House Bill 1005x, which would extend for a year the tribes' motor vehicle registration compacts.

A prior override effort on Senate Bill 26x failed in the Senate by one vote in June.

The House is expected to return next week to attempt to override Stitt’s veto of Senate Bill 26x after already overriding his veto of House Bill 1005x.

Both compacts are set to expire at the end of 2023. The one-year extensions provided in the bills would allow more time to negotiate new compact terms.

Stitt had argued against the override, saying he already was renegotiating for new compacts in good faith.

In his veto message, Stitt had said the bills were an effort to circumvent the authority of the executive branch to negotiate compacts.

The Legislature’s role is to approve or disapprove compacts, said Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City. He said it is possible that the Legislature could take over compact negotiations.

Stitt has had disagreements with tribes about compacts since shortly after taking office in his first term.

“I’ve called this almost a probationary period to see if he can act in good faith and get true negotiations going,” Treat said. “We can reassess next session whether or not we wish to amend that.”

Several tribes supported the overrides, with some arguing that changes concerning jurisdictional issues needed to be worked out.

Stitt said in a statement that “despite real concerns for the future of our state, the Senate has chosen to disregard the Governor’s compact in favor of compact language the tribes wanted.”

“I am trying to protect eastern Oklahoma from turning into a reservation and I’ve been working to ensure these compacts are the best deal for all four million Oklahomans. Unfortunately, the Senate seems to disagree and used an illegitimate process to do so,” he continued.

Treat said he hoped negotiations would proceed expeditiously, something that has not happened with Stitt’s administration.

“I am not holding my breath for that,” Treat said. “My hope would be that we get earnest negotiations done rapidly.”

The Senate's veto override votes show once again that Stitt "is isolated in his choice of conflict over cooperation with tribes," said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said that “despite Gov. Stitt’s attempts to muddy the waters, the Oklahoma Senate did the right thing today by overriding his veto of compacts regarding tobacco sales and motor vehicle tags.”

“These important agreements provide massive benefits for tribes and all Oklahomans, and we thank the Legislature for doing what is right. The Choctaw Nation remains open to negotiating on long-term compacts, and we trust good-faith discussions will start soon,” Batton continued.

Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby said he embraced legislative participation.

“We appreciate the work of the Oklahoma Senate in successfully overriding these vetoes,” Anoatubby said. “Legislators have worked diligently to provide us all with much-needed time to develop a durable compact agreement.”

The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today.