Cherokee Nation: Stitt task force on tribal law enforcement only has two Natives

Jan. 23—Gov. Kevin Stitt's "One Oklahoma Task Force" includes only two seats allotted to tribes on a 13-member panel dealing with Indian Country law enforcement, the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council learned this week.

During the Jan. 22 Tribal Council meeting, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. expressed frustration at the governor's actions to address the McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling.

"The governor of Oklahoma launched a task force called 'One Oklahoma Task Force' in the wake of an incident in the Muskogee Creek Nation involving law enforcement. I've expressed this opinion privately to many of you and publicly, that the governor has seized on that incident to create a task force, which on its face seems good but ... if you look down into the executive order, you see tribes get two seats on a 13-member panel that deals with Indian Country law enforcement. That on its face, I think, is a fatal flaw."

Hoskin said during his State of the Nation address that the executive order contains language everyone has been heard before — that McGirt is a broken system.

"McGirt is not a broken system. McGirt is the case that reaffirmed our reservation status and is something we've seized upon to make this Nation stronger, as have other Indian nations that have been affected by McGirt," Hoskin said.

The CN cannot participate in the task force, knowing it is predicated on the idea that the system is broken, Hoskin said.

"We are not going to lend credibility to that. We'll always work with our friends and neighbors, and in fact, we work with law enforcement all the time," Hoskin said.

Related to that, Hoskin reported Grand River Dam Authority revoked the authorizations of cross-deputization commissions from the CN Marshal Service.

"The men and women of our marshal service are among the best of law enforcement. Those commissions were withdrawn at the behest of Gov. Stitt. That's not a very productive thing for law enforcement to do, not a very productive thing for the governor to do. ... We are going to continue to provide law enforcement. We aren't going to jeopardize public safety, but that action is the opposite of helpful; [it] actually undermines confidence in public safety and we out [to build] confidence, we are out to [to make] sure we have layers of confidence for the public."

Hoskin reported on the summer EBT program operated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will continued into the summer, which can be a difficult time for poor families.

Several pieces of legislation passed through committees and were up for consideration by the council, and Hoskin spoke about two.

"One is the Durbin Feeling Language Act. I'm not a Cherokee speaker but I believe we need to do all we can to revitalize our language," Hoskin said.

The council passed the resolution to reauthorize the act.

The other piece of legislation is the Comprehensive Cherokee Nation Education Act of 2024.

"We already commit a great deal to scholarships. This current year $19 million ... put into scholarships just through our government scholarship education program. Not too many years ago, we were saying $15 million and that was a high-water mark," Hoskin said.

The council passed the resolution on this piece of legislation.

In other news, CN celebrated milestones on infrastructure with $20 million spent last year in road and bridge repair.

"This year we will complete $15 million," Hoskin said.

Deputy Chief Bryan Warner was congratulated for being chosen as a Northeaster State University Centurion.

Brian Hail is now chair of Heartland Advanced Medical Manufacturing Region Cluster, which is dedicated to developing opportunities for regional medical manufacturing.

"When you think of all the investments we are putting into health care, we've got an opportunity in this region to develop medical manufacturing — talking about equipment technology — and we are on the leading edge on that in the region," Hoskin said.

District Tribal Councilor Mike Shambaugh, who is also council chair, thanked Hoskin for continuously fighting for the Cherokee people.

"It's good to see that all our Cherokees are benefiting from your policies, from our at-large [population] to people in 14 counties, but also you are continuing to do what's right. As far as the governor goes, if he really was serious about protecting all the people, this task force would have been made when McGirt happened."

The presentation of Cherokee Warrior Awards was canceled due to weather.

Cherokee Nation Businesses CEO Chuck Garrett reported on a strong first quarter financial report.

"We exceeded our budget by 25% on our net income. That's really good strong management of our businesses. Super-proud of our group and team," Garrett said.

In addition to the financial performance, generally across the company, there is a lot of momentum for the second quarter and officials are developing and executing strategy, Garrett said.

"That has been the key to our approach to business. We think about what we are going to do and have a very detailed plan to go about and execute it," Garrett said.

The Native American Art show is seeking artwork for the upcoming spring event. The 53rd annual Trail of Tears Art Show is April 6-May 11 in the Gallery of Cherokee Springs Plaza and online.

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, CN will be at the Arkansas Racing Commission in Little Rock, and the subject of the Polk County gaming license will be addressed by the commission.

"We are expecting to see the Arkansas Attorney General's office provide some advise and direction for the commission. We are hoping that results in a new application period," Garrett said.

In new business, Cecelia Thomas Murphy was approved as an editorial board member of the CN Phoenix. Dwight Birdwell was confirmed as a member of the CN Gaming Commission and Janice Purcell was confirmed to the CN District Court.

The Council authorized CN to lease tribal trust land in Delaware County to Kenwood Animal Rescue.