House Bill 1137, authored by Choctaw citizen Rep. Ronald Stewart, D-Tulsa, was an amendment to Ida’s Law, which provided tribal liaisons to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations for MMIP cases. It would’ve removed the federal funding requirement, allowing the state to fund the office instead.
The amendment was largely supported and received unanimous approval in the House, and only one no vote in the Senate.
But Stitt vetoed the bill on May 5 as people gathered to honor MMIP Awareness Day, citing racial issues.
“I cannot endorse legislation that singles out victims based solely on their race. House Bill 1137 requires the creation of a unit within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) that focuses exclusively on missing and murdered Indigenous persons. But every missing person— regardless of race or background—deserves equal attention and urgency,” he wrote. “Creating a separate office that prioritizes cases based on race undermines the principle of equal protection under the law and risks sending the message that some lives are more worthy of government attention than others.”
As of 2024, Oklahoma ranked No. 2 in the nation for MMIP cases.
Stewart is now seeking an override of the veto with the help of his fellow politicians.
“We'll do whatever we have to do in order to further this effort,” he said. “This is necessary legislation, this is good legislation. It's commonsense legislation.”
Lawmakers and tribal leaders have expressed disappointment with Gov. Stitt’s decision. Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a social media post that the governor’s decisions spelled out a tumultuous final year in office.
“Our tone-deaf Governor has done it again, rejecting a bipartisan bill to help fund an existing office (that he previously signed into law) to investigate missing and murdered indigenous people….on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day, no less,” the post says. “These families deserve so much better. With baffling decisions such as this, Oklahomans should be concerned about what lies ahead inGov. Stitt’s final year-plus in office.”
HB1137 wasn’t the only veto that brought upset across the legislation. House Bill 1389, authored by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, was also vetoed. The bill pushed for stronger requirements for insurance companies to cover mammogram screenings, as Provenzano is battling breast cancer herself.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
