Cherokee Nation car tag deal OK’d

Oklahoma and Cherokee Nation officials have reached an agreement to renew their motor vehicle tag compact for 10 years after a lengthy dispute.

Gov. Kevin Stitt had insisted for months on making major changes to the compact, which was set to expire Dec. 31, citing his concerns regarding the state’s access to drivers’ personal information and unpaid tolls. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. had criticized some of Stitt’s demands and said the tribe would stop working with the state if an agreement could not be reached.

However, Stitt and Hoskin both expressed support for the terms of their agreement announced Tuesday.

“The new compact is a government to government agreement that will protect the rights of our citizens and ensure we can continue to provide essential funding for public schools, roads and law enforcement agencies,” Hoskin said in a statement. “I am grateful for the good faith negotiations from our partners in Oklahoma and the support of the Cherokee people for this fundamental exercise of our self-determination and government interests.”

The governor also said he appreciated the Cherokee Nation’s efforts to work out a deal that would allow the state to collect tolls from drivers with Cherokee plates who do not have PikePass, a previous point of contention for Stitt.

“We’re all Oklahomans and we all drive on the same roads and bridges,” Stitt said. “It’s important that we’re all contributing to the things that make us a top ten state.“

Cherokee Nation, state of Oklahoma agree on car tag compact

If approved by the Cherokee Nation council and the Legislature’s Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations, the compact would allow Cherokee Nation citizens who live outside of the tribe’s jurisdiction to use state tag offices or Cherokee Nation tag offices to obtain Cherokee plates.

The agreement stipulates that the Cherokee Nation will share driver information for Plate Pay billing, and continue sharing that information with law enforcement. The tribal nation also agreed to pay Oklahoma $2 million over three years to help cover unpaid tolls, and in exchange, the state agreed to waive any additional fees incurred through Nov. 30 by drivers with Cherokee plates.

Cherokee tag agreement follows drawn-out dispute over data concerns 

The agreement comes after Stitt incorrectly claimed earlier this year that police only have reliable information about drivers with Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation plates. He also faulted the Cherokee Nation and other tribal nations over Oklahoma’s inability to collect cashless tolls from drivers with their plates issued by those tribes.

Stitt said tribal citizens were racking up millions of dollars in unpaid tolls because turnpike officials lacked their plate information. A bill that would have allowed law enforcement officials to share tribal plate data with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority failed to advance earlier this year over concerns from tribal leaders.

In response to Stitt’s criticism, Hoskin called the situation a “problem of the state’s own creation,” saying Oklahoma officials failed to ensure the readers could access tribal tag data before they powered on PlatePay systems across the state.

The controversy over car tag compacts started in 2023, when they were set to expire along with other state-tribal deals to share the proceeds of cigarette taxes collected on tribal lands. Lawmakers extended all of the agreements for one year over Stitt’s objections. The new deadline for all the deals to be renewed or risk expiration is Dec. 31.

While Stitt has now agreed to renew the state’s three car tag compacts with tribal nations, it’s unclear how many state-tribal tobacco tax agreements may be within weeks of running out.

Stitt and the elected leaders of at least 11 tribal nations have signed on to long-term tobacco tax agreements since the start of the year, and others are in negotiation, said Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for the governor.

The number of tribes in negotiation is unclear. At least eight compacts appear on track to expire by Dec. 31 if they aren’t renewed.