The Osage Nation Congress will now have a fifth Congressional select committee with its purpose to focus on the Nation’s natural resources after the 9th ON Congress voted to amend the Congressional rules during the Hun-Kah Session.
For its Legislative Branch business operations and procedures during sessions, the 12-member Congress follows its written rules as authorized by the Osage Constitution. The Congressional rules also lists various select and standing committees which take up business matters, including initial consideration of legislation according to its respective duties listed in the rules.
On April 14, the Congressional Rules, Ethics and Engrossment Committee considered proposed rule changes, including the addition of a Congressional Natural Resources Committee, which was proposed by Congresswoman Maria Whitehorn.
“What this (new) rule would do is it would form a new select committee called the Natural Resources Committee,” Whitehorn said. “One of (the reasons) is a Constitutional mandate that says in Article 15 (Natural Resources & Minerals Management), Section 1, General Authority. It says: ‘The legislature of the Osage Nation shall provide for the utilization, development and conservation of all natural resources within the territory of the Nation for the maximum benefit of the Osage people.’”
“It’s very clear to me this body has general authority over natural resources, we have some natural resources law,” she said. “It will be new for us here at Congress to establish and then I believe the relationships we establish with the (ON) Department of Natural Resources will be a different thing … To me, it just informs us what’s going on with our lands, our waters – we all talk about our waters. Right now, from what I can see, all of our water issues are sequestered away in our Attorney General’s office, which constitutionally is not where it belongs. Do I believe some of those issues are proprietary and need to be handled with care? Absolutely I do, but I believe it falls with this body,” Whitehorn said.
Currently, topics and legislation pertaining to land and the environment are taken up by other committees, including the Commerce, Gaming and Land Committee (listed in the rules as a standing committee). With the rules change, that committee is now renamed Commerce and Gaming Committee. In the earlier years of the ON reformed government, the committee was known as the Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
According to the amended rules, the Natural Resources Committee duties include:
- Review the ON government’s natural resource policies, procedures and regulatory administration plans.
- Review the DNR’s recommendations on sustainable management, usage and preservation of the Nation’s natural resources.
- Review all rulings and any enforcement measures executed by the DNR.
- Annually review and report to Congress during the Hun-Kah Session the economic impact of the Nation’s natural resource management plan.
- Form a water rights subcommittee in accordance with Osage law and the rules of Congress. The subcommittee shall serve two-year terms consistent with each numbered Congress.
- Review all natural resource grants.
- Establish and update a land purchase priority list, seeking input from Congress and the Chief.
Congresswoman Alice Goodfox said she supported the new committee idea, noting “I would love to have a footprint of what our priorities are when it comes to buying land and we have asked for that. And so, I like pulling this out (of the CGL committee) and for a committee to be driving the bus on that as much as we can.”
In a separate amendment, Whitehorn also proposed a rule change that allows all Congressional select and standing committees to hold hearings, if needed. Originally, the rules stated that only standing committees were authorized to hold hearings.
Also during the same meeting, Goodfox proposed another rule amendment to specifically state: “The Second Speaker shall preside over Sessions of Congress when the Speaker is absent or unable to preside.”
“Our Second Speaker, by our own rules, is not authorized to preside over a session in the event that the Speaker is unexpectedly absent,” Goodfox said. “We could obviously suspend the rules and do that, but … Why not address it in our rules? Until now, I didn’t realize that it doesn’t say it in there.”
After discussion on the proposed changes, Congress and committee members Goodfox, Billy Keene and Scott BigHorse approved the amendments, which were then referred to Congress with “do pass” recommendations. On April 24, the Congress voted 12-0 on each of the rule changes.
With the rule changes now in effect, the Congress elected Whitehorn to chair the inaugural Natural Resources Committee, along with its first members to be Congresswomen Jodie Revard, Brandy Lemon and Congressmen Scott BigHorse, Eli Potts and Joe Tillman. The committee members will serve one-year terms.
For more ON Congressional information on sessions, committees and to view filed legislative bills and resolutions, visit the Legislative Branch website at: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/legislative-branch
