Not blowing smoke
State Treasurer Scott Meacham didn’t mince words when talking Tuesday to a group of American Indians about difficulties the state has had with some tribes and tobacco compacts.
The current situation is a “big old mess that we’re still in today,” Meacham told about 100 Indian tribal leaders and members who attended a meeting of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma. The session was at a northwest Oklahoma City hotel.
Meacham, designated by Gov. Brad Henry to negotiate tribal tobacco compacts, …
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House approves expanding sales tax holiday
Parents would not have to pay sales tax on school supplies this fall under a bill approved today by House members.
Senate Bill 1149 would expand the state’s back to school sales tax holiday to include school supplies, school art supplies and school instructional materials. The exemption would be limited to items costing less than $100.
The legislation is estimated to save parents about $17 million annually once fully implemented, according to House staff.
“Parents should be able to buy …
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House supports getting out early
House members have passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 71 which allows the Legislature to adjourn a week earlier than the constitution requires.
The constitution states that legislators must adjourn the last Friday in May, which this year would be May 30. The resolution states it’s the intent of legislators to adjourn May 23.
“Now why would we want to go home early?” Rep. Ray McCarter, D-Marlow, asked House Speaker Chris Benge, the House author of the resolution.
“Keep in mind that this …
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Coburn Gets Heated
Since coming to the U.S. Senate in 2005, Sen. Tom Coburn has had a few memorable battles with his colleagues on the Senate floor. The one last week with Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, over a public lands bill, immediately made the Top 5. Here’s video of Coburn’s final remarks. These came after Domenici called Coburn “phenomenal” but “not that great.”…
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Obama Calls BIA a "Backwater"
In an interview over the weekend with the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune, Sen. Barack Obama said that, if he’s elected president, he would try to give more attention to Native American issues.
The Illinois Democrat didn’t know enough about the long-running Indian trust case to comment on it, but he said he wants somebody in the White House “who has my ear, directly, to communicate the needs of native populations, and a commitment for me to meet, at least once …
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