The bills will be heard on third reading, meaning congress members will make the final votes on issues that have been at the top of citizens' minds for the past few months.
But if approved, they still would need the chief's signature, who could veto the legislation.
Data centers
Congresswoman Angela Pratt introduced ONCA 26-70 late last month as part of the legislature's budget session. It would require any Osage government agency to obtain permission from Osage Congress before authorizing any data center project on the reservation.
A data center project is being planned on Osage Nation land and the tribe's minerals council reportedly plays a big role in whether or not it moves forward.
Project Spring is a Google hyperscale data center project planned for Sand Springs at the southern edge of Osage Nation.
The Sand Springs City Council approved the plans early this year, but its developers are seeking a minerals lease from the Osage Minerals Council, which oversees the tribe's 1.47 million-acre oil and gas subsurface. The council and representatives working with Google have met, largely in executive session, for the better part of a year.
One minerals council member – Nathan Tinker Hauth – questioned the bill when it was introduced, suggesting it could override some of the council's authority.
While Pratt's bill originally pertained to hyperscale data centers, it has since been amended to remove the word "hyperscale."
Daposka Ahnkodapi funding
On Thursday, Congresswoman Jodie Revard introduced ONCA 27-01, which would allocate $4 million from the nation's general fund to reopen Daposka Ahnkodapi and two tribal visitors centers.
Daposka Ahnkodapi, the tribe's immersion school, would receive the majority of those funds: nearly $3 million.
The remaining funds would go toward the tribe's visitor centers in Pawhuska and Fairfax. The Fairfax location would receive more than $110,000 while Pawhuska's facility would see nearly $900,000.
Both locations closed, alongside Daposka Ahnkodapi, in August. That's when newly elected Principal Chief Joe Tillman announced multiple facilities would be shut down as part of financial restructuring. He wrote at the time that the tribe was in a financial crisis and must cut spending by $38 million.
Since then, the congress and chief have clashed over the future of the school, and families have protested its closure.
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.
