Photo caption: Congresswoman Angela Pratt was re-elected as Congressional Speaker and Congresswoman Jodie Revard was re-elected as Congressional Second Speaker on April 27. Osage News

Before adjourning the 2021 Hun-Kah Session, the Seventh Osage Nation Congress formed its committees and re-elected Angela Pratt to serve as Congressional Speaker and Jodie Revard as Second Speaker.

The 12-member Congress extended the 24-day session and adjourned on April 27 (Day 25) to finish considering and voting on pending bills and resolutions. Afterward, Congress held its officer elections and formed its four select committees and five standing committees in accordance with Congressional rules.

Pratt relinquished her chair and Congressional Clerk Shana Robedeaux presided over the Speaker election and asked Congress members for nominations.

Revard nominated Pratt for the Speaker position. Afterward, Congressman John Maker nominated Joe Tillman. Robedeaux then asked if Pratt or Tillman wished to share statements on their interest in serving as Speaker.

Pratt said she is appreciative of the nomination and said she would appreciate the opportunity to continue serving a second consecutive one-year term as Speaker. Pratt also served as Speaker in 2016 and 2017 and is serving her second Congressional term.

“I work a lot, I really care about this Congress and this government, I try my best to communicate with the Executive Branch. I’m available to the members of Congress, I work well with the staff,” Pratt told her colleagues. “I try to stay on top of everything that happens, and I understand the role of Speaker and what we do collectively. We are a body of 12. The Chief is the Chief, but the Congress is a body of 12. The Speaker’s role is to communicate and drive the Congress where we collectively decide where we’re going to go and I try to involve myself in all I can and stay on top of all Congressional matters, but also throughout our community, throughout Indian Country … Overall I would appreciate the support because I do put myself out there to work as hard as I can for our Congress and our people.”

Last year, Tillman was elected to his second Congressional term and served as Speaker 2019-2020 and as Second Speaker the prior year.

“It is a big job, it is a rewarding job, it’s something that you have a passion for,” Tillman said of the post, noting he was appreciative of the advice and words from previous Congress Speakers. “You want to be fair; you want to be honest; you have to work with the Executive Branch, you don’t have to work for them, but you have to work with them. You don’t always have agreements with them. It was a place I was pretty much every day and interacted with the staff and went through some very difficult times during the COVID (pandemic) process. We were the first Congress to meet remotely, it was a huge challenge, but we made it through … It’s an honor, it’s a privilege, let the chips fall where they may and I appreciate the consideration.” 

Robedeaux then asked Assistant Clerk Kaitlin Garcia to conduct “yes/ no” roll call votes on Pratt and Tillman.

Pratt won the election with nine “yes” votes from herself, Pam Shaw, Paula Stabler, RJ Walker, Scott BigHorse, Alice Goodfox, Billy Keene, Brandy Lemon and Revard.

Tillman received “yes” votes from Eli Potts and John Maker.

Pratt then resumed the Speaker’s post and asked for nominations for Second Speaker.

Shaw nominated Revard for Second Speaker. No other nominations were made, and Pratt then asked for a motion for nominations to cease, which received a unanimous vote. Pratt then declared that Revard is confirmed as Second Speaker by acclamation.

Revard won her first Congressional election in June 2020. She previously served as Deputy Director of Operations in the Executive Branch and served on the 31st Osage Tribal Council under the former government. As Second Speaker, Revard will serve as Chief Administrative Officer of the Congressional Office to manage day-to-day operations of the office and staff and she will serve as Chair of the Congressional Affairs Committee, per Congressional Rules.

For the remainder of the session, the Congress members formed its Congressional committees. The select and standing committees are responsible for hearing government budgets and 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.

Select Committees

Appropriations: Revard (Chair), Stabler, Shaw, Walker, Keene, Tillman

Membership: Maker (Chair), Goodfox, Walker

Congressional Affairs: Revard (Chair), Lemon, Shaw, Keene, Pratt

Rules, Ethics and Engrossment: Goodfox (Chair), BigHorse, Keene

Standing Committees

Commerce, Gaming and Land: Shaw (Chair), Pratt (Vice Chair), Stabler (Appropriations Committee representative), Lemon, Revard and Keene

Education: Goodfox (Chair), Tillman (Vice Chair), Walker (Appropriations representative), Pratt, Potts, Lemon

Culture: BigHorse (Chair), Maker (Vice Chair), Shaw (Appropriations representative), Stabler, Revard, Keene

Government Operations: Walker (Chair), Goodfox (Vice Chair), Keene (Appropriations representative), Revard, BigHorse, Shaw

Health and Social Services: Stabler (Chair), Lemon (Vice Chair), Tillman (Appropriations), Walker, BigHorse, Pratt.

For more information, visit the Congress/ Legislative Branch website at: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/legislative-branch