MVSKOKE RESERVATION- On Sept. 12, the Land, Natural Resources, and Cultural Preservation Committee held a meeting. Legislation passed will go on to the regular session meeting unless otherwise noted.
The committee addressed the following legislation, the interpretation of which is attributed to language in the bills:
Concharty Methodist Church received a Muscogee (Creek) Nation Ceremonial Ground Camp & Church Camp House Grant in the amount of $9,875 with a vote of 4-0. The contractor is Paul Wilson. There were no questions or comments from the committee.
Broken Arrow Indian United Methodist Church received a Muscogee (Creek) Nation Emergency Assistance Grant in the amount of $21,357.94 with a vote of 3-0. Representative Charles McHenry abstained from voting.
Christina McHenry stated that the money will go toward replacing the carpet and tile in the sanctuary. According to her, the tile has become cracked and is currently a hazard. There were no questions or comments from the committee.
TR 23-094 A tribal resolution of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation authorizing the Principal Chief to apply for federal funding through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Transportation Bridge Program to fund 10 replacement bridges and 6 bridge constructions within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation passed with a vote of 4-0. It was sponsored by Representative Joseph Hicks. The resolution had no questions or comments from the committee.
This resolution authorizes the principal chief to apply for federal funds through the BIA bridge program for the replacement of 10 bridges and the construction of six bridges for the amount of $10,261,863.
TR 23-095 A tribal resolution of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation authorizing the adoption of the 2023 – 2024 Conservation Regulations of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation passed with a vote of 4-0. It was sponsored by Representative Galen Cloud. The resolution had no questions or comments from the committee.
Jesse Allen from the MCN Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources commented that the regulations made no changes from previous years.
NCA 23-075 a law of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation authorizing an appropriation in the amount of $50,000 to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Tribal Construction Services in order to create the ramp assistance program passed with a vote of 4-0. It was sponsored by Representative Charles McHenry and co-sponsored by Representative Robert Hufft. It will go on to the Business, Finance, and Justice Committee (BF&J) for funding. There were no questions or comments from the committee.
This legislation would benefit MCN citizens that need assistance installing residential wheelchair ramps. It was originally postponed from an Aug. 8 committee meeting. The legislation now provides for minor dwelling modifications to accommodate accessibility.
A representative from tribal construction made the following remarks, “…we spoke with Representative McHenry and he agreed, we made a change, we added in the language for as we understand there’s going to be instances… where their door frame might need to be widened and we added that language in there to under certain circumstances we can widen their door to accommodate a ramp.”
NCA 23-097 A law of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation authorizing an appropriation in the amount of $16,308 to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Facilities Department for water services provided for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Industrial Park located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma passed with a vote of 4-0. It was sponsored by Rep. Joseph Hicks. It will go on to the BFJ committee for funding.
The water meter at the MCN Industrial Park at 3510 N. Wood Drive was installed by the City of Okmulgee and the MCN in 2008. It was not properly recording water usage from a determined date spanning from 2014-2022. An amount of $16,308 has been requested by the MCN Facilities Department to settle the outstanding negotiated balance with the city.
NCA 23-098 A law of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation authorizing the expenditure of grant funds awarded from the United States Department of Agriculture for the benefit of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) in the amount of $82,517 passed with a vote of 4-0. It was sponsored by Rep. Cloud. There were no questions or comments from the committee.
The MCN DANR was awarded a Fiscal Year 2023 Tribal Nations Wild Cervid Grant in the amount of $82,510. The grant funds will be used to increase the testing of wild harvested deer on the reservation for Chronic Wasting Disease research and provide baseline knowledge of the absence of presence of the disease.
Allen later clarified to Mvskoke Media that remarks made during discussion that funds would go towards youth archery equipment and programming were referencing different, upcoming legislation.
NCA 23-099 A law of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation amending MCNCA title 23, entitled “Wildlife Code ” passed with a vote of 4-0. It was sponsored by Rep. Cloud. There were no questions or comments from the committee.
Title 23 of the MCNCA deals with the regulation of hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering, and conservation on tribal lands. Allen stated during discussion that the update includes a definition of “legal bait” and “baiting” in the description of the code.
NCA 23-100 A law of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation authorizing an appropriation in the amount of $70,000 to the Office of Environmental Services (OES) for the lagoon closure at Duck Creek and Okemah Casinos passed with a vote of 4-0. It was sponsored by Rep. Joseph Hicks. It will go on to the BF&J committee.
MCN Office of Environmental Services Director James Williams made remarks on the bill stating, “The lagoons have been out of compliance for awhile, there’s trees growing up in the berms… the one in Okemah, they haven’t used it since they hooked up to the city water and sewer, we need to go ahead and close it permanently. The one at Duck Creek…they want to close the lagoon in a way to use a drip system.” Williams stated that gaming has committed $100,000 to the project and the rest will cost $70,000.
To view the full meeting, visit: mcnnc.com.