Gov. Kevin Stitt Outlines New Offer For Car Tag Compact With Cherokee Nation

Gov. Stitt says he has sent the Cherokee Nation a new offer for a 10-year car tag compact.

The current agreement expires in December.

The Cherokee Nation has spent months pushing for the state to renew the existing compact, saying nearly $8 million from those tags go to eastern Oklahoma schools.

Gov. Stitt says the current compact is a public safety issue and says the Cherokee Nation owes the Turnpike Authority nearly 5 million dollars in unpaid tolls.

The Governor outlined his proposed agreement in a tweet he posted on Monday.

He says his plan allows the tribe to keep funding certain schools, operate their own tribal tag agencies, and also resolve the unpaid tolls.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. sent the following statement in response, saying that no agreement has been reached:

“Cherokee Nation’s MVT Car Tag Compact negotiations are ongoing with the state. Despite the governor’s proposal posted in a graphic on his X page, no agreement has been reached between the Cherokee Nation and the state. If any compact is reached, tribal citizens and the Council of the Cherokee Nation will be the first to know and not through the governor’s social media page.”

The Cherokee Nation Attorney General Chad Harsha sent the following statement in regards to the governor's claims of unpaid tolls:

“Governor Stitt’s attacks on tribal sovereignty are emblematic not only of his disrespect for tribes, but of his brazen willingness to mislead all Oklahomans. It may not fit the governor’s preferred narrative, but tribes in Oklahoma have a long history of working collaboratively with state and local partners on our shared goals, especially public safety. 

To be clear: in this case, the state moved to a new PlatePay system without consulting tribes or considering the broader impacts. The Cherokee Nation has uploaded all vehicle tag information into the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Technology System, which is shared with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) and law enforcement across the state.

It’s particularly shocking for the governor to insinuate that the Cherokee Nation is uncooperative or to single out any tribe for issues with a system the state created. Thousands of drivers, Native or not, may have never received bills or be aware they owe bills. We understand there are broader issues with the turnpike PlatePay system, including with out of state tags, cars that are hooked to trailers or unreadable to the scanners, and other hosts of issues – and that these issues are not unique to tribes. This speaks to a broader problem – one that would be easier to address if the governor preferred solutions over political attacks.”