Congress passes new budget parameter act

On Day Two of the Hun-Kah Session, the Second Osage Nation Congress unanimously passed a revised budget parameters act for the Nation’s government entities to follow when setting their operational budgets.

ONCA 11-32, “an act to establish parameters and limitations for the budget of the Osage Nation,” was successfully advanced to a final vote during the March 23 session. Its sponsor is Congressman Raymond Red Corn with Congressmen Daniel Boone and Eddy Red Eagle as co-sponsors.

“This particular bill and subject matter has been labored on for quite a while in Hun-Kah Sessions between the Executive (branch) and Congress,” Congressman Red Eagle said. “What we ask for in the budget parameters act is clarity, conciseness, appropriateness and the ability to see what our programs… are trying to accomplish.”

According to the bill, the Nation’s government entities would be required to submit their annual budgets to Congress by July 15 each year. The Congress is charged with setting the annual budgets during the Tzi-Zho Sessions before the Nation’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

The bill also allows independent budgets, or those budgets of the Nation’s government entities independent from direct management of the Executive Branch, to forward their budgets to Congress as submitted to the Executive Branch, along with an accompanying budget modified by the Executive Branch, if any.

“What I really believe is good about this bill is that all of us who ran on accountability can now believe that the Executive Branch can have more responsibility, more flexibility, but most importantly, more accountability,” Red Corn said of the bill. “The Executive Branch will have the flexibility they need to operate day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month under one budget without having to come back to Congress with numerous budget modifications.”

ONCA 11-32 was sent to enrollment and a copy was sent to Principal Chief John Red Eagle’s office for his review and action.

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