In an effort to keep Cherokee Nation license plates street legal outside of Cherokee land by the end of the year, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is throwing out his demand that the Cherokee Nation accept a one-size-fits-all approach to all tribal car tags.
Initially, Stitt had said the Cherokee Nation must accept the same terms and conditions that the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations agreed to during the tribal tag compact discussions. Now, the governor’s office confirmed they have offered the Cherokee Nation a unique compact to address their needs and concerns and settle the matter.
“Governor Stitt has modified the State’s offer to address concerns raised by Cherokee Nation leadership,” Communications Director at the Office of Governor Stitt Abegail Cave said in a statement. “While he has held fast to his position that the State needs to be able to access Cherokee driver registration information to levy tolls on those travelling on the turnpike as well as settle the debt to OTA owed by Cherokee tag holders, Governor Stitt has made significant concessions in terms of tag agencies, jurisdictional concerns and overall amount owed to OTA. Governor Stitt wholeheartedly hopes that both parties can agree on these terms and sign an agreement that is good for all four million Oklahomans.”