It has been my honor to serve as your representative to the Osage Nation Congress and I am pleased to announce my candidacy for reelection. Over the past five and-a-half years, I have worked to promote laws that benefit the Osage people, to establish uniform processes for our government operations, and to expand and improve direct services to all my constituents. I am a fiscal conservative and demand accountability and effectiveness for the expenditure of Osage Nation funds.
My key legislative achievements are:
• The Health Benefit Act, which I sponsored, established a monetary benefit to every Osage member applicant to pay for health and wellness needs. This was an innovative benefit that is being adopted by other tribes. I have a bill pending which would deposit $20 million into the benefit fund that will ensure the future of this vital benefit, and to expand coverage for our elders.
• Higher Education Scholarships. I sponsored increases to scholarship funding for all eligible Osages to the higher learning institution of their choice wherever located. I currently have a bill in Congress to establish a fund to allow for funding by school year, and to increase scholarships amounts as tuition and fees rise. The legislation allows for adding new scholarship opportunities.
• Employment. I sponsored legislation that established a merit system of employment with bonus opportunities based on performance. The Congress just passed my bill to afford employees facing termination due process.
• Osage Preference, which I sponsored, requires Osage preference in the Osage Nation’s process for contracting for goods and services.
• Establishment of the Osage Nation Burial Fund. I sponsored the bill establishing a fund which provides assistance to all Osage Families in last rites and other costs incurred at this difficult time.
• The Regional Gathering Act, which I wrote, affords all Osage groups within a geographic radius throughout the country the ability to offset costs to host gatherings of Osages.
I hope you will follow my efforts this Hun-kah Session as I work to strengthen our government and promote the sound values that my family taught me. My focus this Session is on establishing funds with investment requirements to help sustain them, and to create an entity to manage and increase the Nation’s land holdings. I humbly ask you to allow me to continue my work on your behalf in the 3rd Osage Congress.
By
Press Release
Original Publish Date: 2012-03-26 00:00:00
