Choctaw Nation, Oklahoma renew plate agreement amid broader controversy over tribal tags

The car tag agreement between the state of Oklahoma and the Choctaw Nation will last at least 10 more years.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Choctaw Chief Gary Batton agreed to renew the compact without substantive changes, according to records made public Monday. The deal caps a yearlong controversy over the future of the compact, one of three car tag agreements signed between the state and tribal nations. Batton and Stitt also recently agreed to extend a state-tribal tobacco tax agreement.

“Intergovernmental cooperation between our tribe and the state was the norm for many years, and we think this is a prime example of coming together with mutual respect to create better conditions for all people,” Batton said in a written statement about the car tag compact.

Under the agreement, the state will continue issuing license plates directly to Choctaw citizens through 2034. Most of the money collected from the sales goes toward road improvements. A fraction goes back to the tribe, which then rebates the money to tribal citizens.

Stitt said he was grateful officials representing the Choctaw Nation and the neighboring Chickasaw Nation were willing to work out long-term agreements with the state. The Chickasaw Nation compact, which also calls for the state to issue plates directly to tribal citizens, was renewed in January.

“These compacts continue the existing commitment to transparency and public safety,” Stitt said in a written statement.

Gov. Stitt criticized license plates issued by other Oklahoma tribal nations

The governor went on to signal that he would continue to criticize license plates issued by other tribal nations, however. The state’s new cashless tolls cannot read those plates, a repeated concern for Stitt. The system only recognizes Choctaw Nation and Chickasaw Nation tags, because the state issues those plates directly. Stitt said that arrangement is a model that “prioritizes the safety of law enforcement and ensures our turnpike authority can collect tolls on all drivers who travel on our turnpikes.”

The governor added that he is open to signing on to similar compacts with “any tribal government seeking to issue tribal tags.” No tribal leader has expressed interest in the offer, said Abegail Cave, the governor’s spokesperson.

Most tribal nations in Oklahoma have been issuing plates to their citizens since the 1990s. Their tag offices operate independently from the state and from each other, with different residency requirements and fee schedules.

More: Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation sign latest tribal compact: What to know about the deal

At least 75% of those tribes share their vehicle registration information with a state law enforcement database, The Oklahoman has found. But toll readers can’t access the police database, and turnpike officials did not wait to install the cashless tolls until they had obtained plate information directly from tribes.

The confusion and rhetoric tied to tribal plates escalated in November, after a state trooper ticketed an Otoe-Missouria tribal citizen over her license plate. The trooper said she lived outside of her tribe’s jurisdiction and should have had a state plate. That ticket was later dropped but still sparked a wave of fear among drivers with tribal plates.

Stitt has denied directing troopers to begin enforcing any residency requirements tied to tribal tags.

Will the Oklahoma Legislature weigh in during session?

It’s unclear whether state lawmakers will wade into the issue. A proposal that sought to close the data gap and allow state police to share vehicle registration information with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority was voted down Tuesday by the House public safety committee.

Chuck Hoskin Jr., the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, said last month that he may ask lawmakers for help renewing his nation’s car tag compact with the state if negotiations with Stitt stall out. Chad Harsha, the Cherokee Nation's attorney general, said Tuesday that he and other Cherokee officials are continuing to talk with Stitt's office. Cave also confirmed those talks are ongoing.

A spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat said he hadn’t yet been approached by Cherokee officials to discuss the issue.

Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma governor, Choctaw chief agree to renew car tag deal