By
Benny Polacca
Day One of the 2018 Osage Nation Congressional Hun-Kah Session is Monday, March 26, starting at 10 a.m. in the ON Capitol Building on Main Street in Pawhuska.
The 12-member legislative body will consider filed legislative bills, resolutions and other matters brought to the Legislative Branch for review and action. Other matters include consideration of any board/ commission appointees for confirmation to those respective board seats.
The members will also meet in Congressional committee meetings, which will be scheduled as needed throughout the session for initial reviews and consideration of legislation and other matters.
The spring Congressional session is one of two regular sessions mandated by the 2006 Osage Constitution and may last up to 24 days. Any session may be extended up to three days and those extensions may be granted by the Congressional Speaker at the written request of two-thirds of the members or may be granted by the Principal Chief, the constitution states.
The following bills are filed with the Congressional office and will be up for consideration during the Hun-Kah Session:
ONCA 18-04 (sponsored by Congresswoman Shannon Edwards): A bill to provide a $134,750 appropriation to the Osage Minerals Council, which will go toward 2018 fiscal year office space occupancy and indirect costs. If passed, the funding would come from the Nation’s general fund in the Treasury.
ONCA 18-05 (Congressman Otto Hamilton): A bill to provide a $1.1 million appropriation to the Osage Nation Environmental Services LLC (ONES). If passed, the funding would come from the Nation’s Economic Development Fund.
ONCA 18-06 (Congresswoman Maria Whitehorn): A bill seeking amendments to the Nation’s Limited Liabilities Company Act. According to a filed copy of the bill, proposed changes include mandating: “Any LLC in which a wholly-owned Osage Nation LLC is the sole member shall be managed by a Board of Directors or by a manager.”
The bill also seeks to add amendments, which include requirements of LLC board members to be at least 25 years old, have a high school diploma/ GED and have no felony convictions, as well as substantial business, financial or industry experience. LLC manager will also have a minimum age requirement to be at least 25 years old and other qualifications set forth in the LLC subsidiary articles of organization.
ONCA 18-07 (Congressional Speaker Angela Pratt): A bill to provide a supplemental appropriation of $41,337 to the Nation’s Wildland Fire Management Office for equipment acquisition purposes. The bill requests the funding come from the Nation’s general fund in the Treasury.
ONCA 18-08 (Congressman RJ Walker): A bill to provide a $20,194 appropriation to the Nation’s Regional Gathering Fund from the Nation’s general fund in the Treasury. This fund is available for at-large Osage organizations to request money to help pay for at-large Osage community meeting expenses including venue rental costs and food and equipment needs for meetings open to all Osage membership.
During the session and committee meetings held in the Congressional chambers building, those public meetings (except executive sessions) will be live streamed at: www.osagenation-nsn.gov/multimedia/live-media
Original Publish Date: 2018-03-23 00:00:00
