Members of Congress said they ratified Oct. 26 controversial meeting in three committee meetings Monday

Osage Nation Congress members Doug Revard, William “Kugee” Supernaw and Jerri Jean Branstetter announced in three committee meetings today that the controversial meeting that took place on Oct. 26 behind locked doors in the congressional chambers was not a violation of the Open Meetings Law.

“I move to ratify and approve the unintended and alleged special meeting,” said Congressman Revard in a cultural committee meeting that lasted three minutes. “I would inform the committee that I have made that motion for the purpose of knowing that we did not feel that we were ever in any meeting; we were working as individuals together, as to things that were on the floor, nothing that was in committee.”

Revard then said that by ratifying the meeting it would put a stop to “wasting the Osage People’s money” because there were too many frivolous lawsuits already pending made by the chief.

Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray filed suit Nov. 6 against Congress members Revard, Supernaw, Branstetter, Anthony Shackelford, Faren Anderson and Eddy Red Eagle for discussing behind closed-doors ONCA 09-66, Government Operations Departments and Programs Appropriations Act and ONCA 09-63, the Office of the Chiefs Appropriation Act.

Osage News reported later that Congressman Anthony Shackelford was not in the chambers at the time of the meeting.

The suit alleges that the six members of Congress met illegally when they formed quorums for five committees and barred any member of the public and the Osage News from listening and making a record of the discussion that resulted in 90 floor amendments in the form of cuts from the two budgets that totaled a little more than $3 million.

In the Open Meetings Law it states that a public body “may ratify an action taken in violation of this law at a public meeting” as long as it’s done within 30 days of the violation, making the meeting legal. The law also states that the meeting in question has to have been unintended in order for it to be ratified by the Open Meetings Law.

After Revard announced he wanted to ratify the Oct. 26 meeting, Congressman Supernaw and Congresswoman Branstetter did the same in an Education Committee meeting and an Appropriations Committee meeting today that both lasted under 4 minutes. Congresswoman Debbie Atterberry voted not to ratify the meeting and Congressman Raymond Red Corn abstained from voting for the ratification.

A prepared release from the Osage Nation Congress said that bills ONCA 09-66 and ONCA 09-63 were not the property of a committee or in its control so that if quorums for four committees (Appropriations, Cultural, Congressional Affairs and Rules and Ethics) were established it did not matter. “Both pieces of legislation were on General Order, which means they were the property of the entire body of Congress, not an individual committee.”

Now that the six members of Congress claim the Oct. 26 meeting has been made legal, the Osage News asked a congressional staff member if it could have the minutes of the meeting. The staff member replied that the congressional legal counsel, Loyed Gill, had advised her not to answer due to pending litigation. According to the Open Meetings Law, minutes from public meetings have to be approved within three days of the meeting, ready or not.

To view the congressional prepared release, click here:

congressional-release-11-16-09

To view the prepared release from Osage Nation Principal Chief, click here:

Osage Nation Principal Chief prepared release

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