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ON Congress reelects Goodfox and Shaw as Speaker and Second Speaker

Congress forms its standing and select committees for one-year terms

The Eighth Osage Nation Congress reelected Alice Goodfox as Speaker and Pam Shaw as Second Speaker and both will serve their second years in the Congressional leadership posts.

On April 24 as the 2023 Hun-Kah Session ended, the Congress held its annual officer elections and formed its select and standing committees which also have a one-year duration.

Congressional Clerk Brooklyn Kemble presided over the Speaker election and asked for nominees.

Congresswoman Brandy Lemon nominated Goodfox for the position and Congressman Billy Keene seconded the motion. No other Congress members were nominated, and Congressman Scott BigHorse motioned for nominees to cease with Lemon seconding the motion.

Congresswoman Jodie Revard then motioned “to elect Congresswoman Goodfox to the position of Speaker by acclamation.” Keene and BigHorse both seconded the motion.

Kemble asked for a voice vote on the motion and the 11 Congress members present voted “yes” for Goodfox to serve another year as Speaker. Congressman Eli Potts was absent during the 24th and final day of the Hun-Kah Session.

“Congresswoman Goodfox has been elected as Speaker,” Kemble announced. Goodfox then returned to the Speaker’s seat and presided over the Second Speaker election. “Thank you, I promise to do my best,” Goodfox told her legislative colleagues.

Goodfox then asked for Second Speaker nominees. Congresswoman Jodie Revard nominated Shaw for the position and Keene seconded the motion. No other nominations were made for the position as well and Goodfox motioned for nominations to cease with Keene seconding.

“Congresswoman Shaw is now Second Speaker by acclamation,” Goodfox announced.

Re-elected in the June 6, 2022, General Election, Goodfox is in her fourth Congressional term and her tenure includes serving as Second Speaker for two years and she’s chaired various Congressional committees as well.

Shaw is serving her first term after winning a Congressional seat in the 2020 General Election. During her tenure on the Seventh ON Congress, Shaw served as chair for the Congressional Commerce, Gaming and Land Committee. As Second Speaker, Shaw serves as Chief Administrative Officer of the Congressional Office to manage day-to-day operations and its staff and she will serve as Chair of the Congressional Affairs Committee, per Congressional Rules.

Afterward, the Congress members formed new Congressional committees. The select and standing committees are responsible for hearing government budgets, legislative bills/ resolutions and other issues pertaining to the programs, departments, businesses, entities and branches of the Nation. Each committee holds its own meetings and reports back to the whole of Congress. 

Courtesy Photo/Osage Nation Congress

The 2023-2024 Congressional committees are:

Select Committees

Congressional Affairs – Shaw (Chair), Whitney Red Corn, Otto Hamilton, Joe Tillman, Scott BigHorse

Appropriations – Revard (Chair), Shaw (Vice Chair), Hamilton, Paula Stabler, Goodfox, Red Corn

Membership – Potts (Chair), Tillman, John Maker

Rules, Ethics and Engrossment – Keene (Chair), BigHorse, Hamilton

Standing Committees

Commerce, Gaming and Land – Revard (Chair), Lemon (Vice Chair), Hamilton (Representative to Appropriations Committee), Tillman, Keene, Stabler

Education – Red Corn (Chair and AP Rep.), Potts (Vice Chair), BigHorse, Hamilton, Maker, Shaw

Culture – Bighorse (Chair), Shaw (Vice Chair), Goodfox (AP Rep.), Stabler, Keene, Maker

Government Operations – Lemon (Chair), Maker (Vice Chair), Shaw (AP Rep.), Revard, Red Corn, Keene

Health and Social Services – Stabler (Chair and AP Rep.), Red Corn (Vice Chair), Lemon, Hamilton, Maker, BigHorse For more information on sessions, committees and filed legislation, visit the Congress/ Legislative Branch website at: www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/legislative-branch

Author

  • Benny Polacca

    Title: Senior Reporter

    Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

    Instagram: @bpolacca

    Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

    Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

    Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

    Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

    Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

Benny Polacca
Benny Polaccahttps://osagenews.org

Title: Senior Reporter

Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

Instagram: @bpolacca

Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

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