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An Oklahoma legislative panel ratified a much-discussed vehicle registration compact with the Cherokee Nation on Monday, about 36 hours before the current agreements expire. The 10-year agreement figures to cost most Tulsa County Cherokee vehicle owners a little more eventually and calls for the Cherokee Nation to pay the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority $2 million to settle unpaid balances from Cherokee-tagged vehicles in OTA's Plate Pay system. The Cherokee Nation also agrees to provide tag and registration information to the OTA for future Plate Pay billing. Meeting Monday morning, the Joint Committee on Tribal Affairs approved the new compact on a 6-0 vote. The compact was ratified earlier this month by the Cherokee Tribal Council, and
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt approved of the agreement last month . “We appreciate our partners in the legislature for recognizing the mutual benefits of the new compact and taking this important step to finalize the agreement,” Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a written statement. “This compact was reached thanks to good faith negotiations between our tribe and the governor’s office, and is further proof that all 4 million Oklahomans win when all parties approach our shared responsibilities with mutual respect and collaboration to promote the needs of our tribal and state communities." Most of Oklahoma's 39 recognized tribes issue license plates, but only the Cherokees, Choctaws and Chickasaws share registration revenue with the state through compacts. The compact approved Monday actually replaces two the Cherokees have with the state of Oklahoma. Unlike the existing agreements, it does not recognize all of Tulsa County as an "extended jurisdiction" in which Cherokee citizens generally pay less to register vehicles than they would through the state. Tulsa County is divided at Admiral Boulevard between the Cherokee and Muscogee nations. The current compact "grandfathers" for four years existing Cherokee registrations outside its reservation. New registrations after four years can be renewed but under the new fee structure. "I’m proud that the compact preserves Cherokee sovereignty, protects the rights of all Cherokees — including at-large Cherokees (those living outside the reservation) — to access tribally issued tags and titles, and keeps the investment framework in place for another decade that has worked so well for schools, infrastructure and law enforcement,” Hoskin said. Trevor Pemberton, Gov. Kevin Stitt's former chief legal counsel and now a private attorney, represented the state for most of the negotiations and presented the compact to the committee with Cherokee Attorney General Chad Harsha. Pemberton said the $2 million to the OTA over two years wipes the slate on Cherokee-tagged vehicles through Nov. 30, 2024. He said owners will be billed individually beginning with the month of December, using information provided by the Cherokee Nation, under the terms of the compact. The Cherokee Nation already provided the information to the statewide public safety system, known as OLETS, and the Oklahoma Tax Commission, but they were not allowed to share it with the Turnpike Authority. Pemberton said about $10 million is still owed by the owners of vehicles registered with Oklahoma tags other than the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations.
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