The Ninth Osage Nation Congress approved a health-related bill to repeal a now-obsolete revolving fund for the new clinic’s construction.
For the 2025 Hun-Kah Session, the bill is the first one receiving a vote. The bill received initial consideration by the Congressional Health and Social Services Committee before a floor vote.
The bill is ONCA 25-44 (sponsored by Congresswoman Jodie Revard), which is “An Act to repeal the Health Clinic Construction Fund.” In the Nation’s accounting system, revolving funds are not subject to fiscal year limitations and those fund balances can rollover from one fiscal year to another until spent.
Revard discussed the legislation with the Congressional health committee, noting there is a health construction loan that is now covering the clinic building costs. She said the bill’s history started when a look at the Nation’s revolving fund balances turned up a $0 balance for the fund after a remaining $1.3 million was transferred over to the ON Health System, which includes the new Wahzhazhe Health Center being built along Main Street in Pawhuska.
“This is us just cleaning up and repealing some revolving funds now that their intent is expired, I feel like the Health System is secure now in their funding for (the clinic) construction and I feel like the $1.3 million that was transferred over now assists them to finish their build or assist in that and this fund is not necessary any longer,” Revard said of the bill’s intent.
The then-Fifth ON Congress approved a 2017 bill establishing the Health Construction Fund, which was used to hold money appropriated by Congress or donated for new clinic costs including real property purchase and design/ construction purposes.
Treasurer Clark Batson told the committee his office researched the revolving fund and a total of $3.5 million was appropriated to the fund, which included both tribal funding and third-party billing funds from clinic revenue. He said the remaining funding was third party revenue, which was transferred to the health system.
Congress voted unanimously to pass ONCA 25-44 on April 9. Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear signed the bill into law on April 11.
