The Eighth Osage Nation Congress will convene for the 2023 Tzi-Sho Session starting Tuesday, Sept. 6 with the main focus of considering and approving the Nation’s 2024 fiscal year budgets for government operations.
The 12 legislators will meet at the ON Legislative Chambers along Main Street in Pawhuska for the regular 24-day fall session, including Congressional committee meetings, which will be live-streamed and recorded. The Tzi-Sho Session is limited to 24 days but may be extended up to three extra days at the written request of two-thirds of the 12-member Congress in accordance with the Osage Constitution.
Day 1 of the session will include an Executive Message by Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear and the Legislative Message by Congressional Speaker Alice Goodfox. The Tzi-Sho Session is the second of two regular sessions mandated by the 2006 Constitution.
Throughout the session, Congressional committee meetings will also be scheduled to initially consider appropriation bills containing the budgets for the Nation’s three-branch government operations, entities, boards and commissions. The current 2023 fiscal year for the Nation ends Sept. 30 and FY 2024 starts Oct. 1.
Operations budgets to be considered for the government branches include those for the various Executive Branch departments/ programs; Office of the Chiefs administration; the Legislative Branch and its respective Congressional Office operations; boards and commissions; cultural donations; the Attorney General’s Office – which operates independently of the three branches; and the Judicial Branch.
Congressional committee meetings will also be held for consideration of appointed office holders who serve four-year terms and board/ commission member appointees subject to Congressional confirmation votes to serve full three-year terms.
Once available for public viewing, all legislative bills, resolutions, including appropriation/ budget bills, are on file with the Congressional Clerk’s Office and can be viewed/ downloaded from the Congressional website at: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/legislative-branch
The Tzi-Sho Session and committee meetings are public (except executive sessions allowed by Osage law to discuss confidential and proprietary matters) and will be live-streamed at: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/legislative-branch/live-media
