The Osage Health and Wellness Benefit Act is expected to be signed into law next week. The law, which calls for each Osage member to receive up to $500.00 in health and wellness benefits annually beginning January 1, 2009, has hit a funding roadblock. The funding bill,(ONCA 08-47) appropriates five million dollars to be made available from existing funds, is currently stuck in the Appropriations Committee. Committee Chair Anderson, and Congressman Supernaw, two of the three Congress members to vote against the legislation, voted with Congresswoman Branstetter against moving the funding bill to the floor so that it could be considered by the whole Congress. The move leaves the bill in a committee whose function under the Congressional Rules is to compile budgets, and may mean that Osages will not be able to receive the benefits authorized by the act.
Speaker Mason has the ability to recall the bill from the Committee and place it back into the Congressional process so that all the members have an opportunity to vote on the measure but refuses to do so. If you believe the Congress should vote this session on whether all Osages will receive a limited health benefit starting in January 2009, please contact Speaker Mason and urge him to recall the bill from committee and let Congress vote.
ONCA 08-49, a bill to authorize funding for the purchase of real property, is similarly stuck in the Commerce and Economic Development Committee. The bill was supposed to be discussed yesterday in that Committee, but Chairman Revard advised that a lunch break was needed and suggested that the meeting, which was posted to be held all day, could be rescheduled after the regular session is scheduled to end, meaning the purchase opportunity could likewise be lost due to committee inaction.
If you believe that three Congress members should not delay spending votes by the entire Congress,, let the Speaker know that.
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