Oklahoma Congressman Introduces Bill On Tribal Jurisdiction Compacts
Federal legislation to allow the Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations to compact with the state of Oklahoma on criminal justice was formally introduced today for Rep. Tom Cole, a Chickasaw and one of just a handful of Native Americans in Congress. The introduction comes one day after leaders of the two tribes signaled their support for the bill.
Given the respect that Republicans, and many Democrats, have for Rep. Cole, and with his tribal affiliation, it s no surprise that he has taken the lead role on Capitol Hill in trying to solve the problems caused by the Supreme Court s decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma last summer.
An arrangement of hydroxychloroquine tablets. (AP Photo/John Locher)
OKLAHOMA CITY (CN) Oklahoma officials announced Friday the state will receive a full $2.6 million refund for its stockpile of hydroxychloroquine, months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked emergency use authorization for the malaria drug as a Covid-19 treatment due to lack of effectiveness.
California-based FFF Enterprises agreed to take back the 12,000 bottle supply after state officials claimed the prices paid might have been excessive under the Oklahoma Emergency Price Stabilization Act or the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act.
“FFF Enterprises denies any and all allegations related to the pricing and delivery of the products to the state of Oklahoma,” the six-page settlement agreement states.
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Oklahoma will receive a $2.6 million refund for its bulk purchase of Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that former President Donald Trump touted as an effective treatment for COVID-19.
The state will be reimbursed in full once it returns its supply, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said in a press release Friday. Trump continuously promoted the drug throughout the first months of the pandemic, even as some health officials warned against taking it due to the risk of severe side effects.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health purchased 1.2 million pills of the drug in April 2020, according to the Associated Press.
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby We ve been operating, since I came to work for the Nation, as though we have boundaries, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said while talking about the recent Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals decision that affirmed what he already knew: the Chickasaw Nation s reservation boundaries were never disestablished.
Anoatubby has been the leader of the Chickasaw Nation since 1987 and is often referred to as one of the most powerful people in Indian Country.
The leader of the Tribal Nation remembers a time when their operating budget was only a little more than $1 million, and most of that money came from the federal government. Today, the Chickasaw Nation boasts more than $500 million in annual revenue with multiple businesses and a state of the art medical facility.