Oklahoma finalizes tobacco, motor vehicle compacts with two tribes

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Governor Kevin Stitt announced the finalization of compacts with two tribes in Oklahoma on Monday.

"We now have fully executed tobacco compacts with both the Chickasaw and the Apache tribes that maintain jurisdictional continuity in Oklahoma," said Governor Stitt. "We also finalized a car tag compact with the Chickasaw tribe that ensures Oklahoma law enforcement can confidently identify vehicles on the road and guarantees that our turnpikes can read tribal tags. For the safety of all law enforcement, and for tag compacts to be workable, the state must have uninhibited, up-to-date access to driver registration information, and this agreement ensures that."

“The Chickasaw Nation is pleased to announce we have worked with Governor Stitt’s office to continue these important compacts for another 10 years. We built on areas of agreement without waiving or limiting the rights of either party or requiring either party to yield on matters where there may still be legal dispute,” stated Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. “...we appreciate the Oklahoma Legislature providing us additional time to work on these agreements. It has long been our policy to exercise sovereignty and pursue sound intergovernmental agreements. This work, done properly, strengthens the Chickasaw Nation and Oklahoma. We believe our new agreements are good examples of what can be done when we work together, and we are glad they will benefit all of us who call Oklahoma home.”

The 10-year tobacco compacts negotiated and entered pursuant to the Governor’s exclusive legal authority include the following material provisions:

• A 50/50 split between the state and tribal governments on tobacco sales from tribal smoke shops on trust land.
• A jurisdictional definition that is limited to tribal trust land and restricted allotments in alignment with the historical understanding of Indian Country in these tax compacts.
• Express preservation of legal rights regarding jurisdictional or other matters arising outside the limited compact jurisdiction.

The 10-year motor vehicle tag and registration compact negotiated and entered pursuant to the Governor’s exclusive constitutional and statutory authority includes the following material provisions:

• Oklahoma will continue to print Chickasaw plates and collect driver information for each tag, ensuring accessibility for law enforcement and public safety.
• OTA will have access to driver information for the purposes of collecting tolls.
• The state will remit a percentage of receipts associated with licensing, registration, renewal of registration, and payment of excise taxes.

"While I’m glad we could come to an agreement on these compacts, I still believe there is work to be done to ensure we are not further eroding Oklahoma’s revenue base in order to continue to provide public services to people across the state," Governor Stitt added. "I continue to welcome other federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma to engage with my office in the compacting process."

The Apache tobacco compact can be read in full here.

The Chickasaw motor vehicle compact can be read in full here.

The Chickasaw tobacco compact can be read in full here.