Stitt vetoes bill for missing and murdered indigenous persons
Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed House Bill 1137, which would continue Oklahoma’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Office beyond its initial three-year term.
The office, created in 2021 with bipartisan support, has been instrumental in coordinating efforts among tribal, local, state, and federal authorities to address the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who go missing or are murdered in Oklahoma.
Despite strong backing from law enforcement, tribal leaders, and victims’ families, Stitt said the office is redundant and pointed to existing resources in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
His decision sparked immediate backlash, with critics calling it another example of the governor undermining tribal concerns and eroding trust between the state and Native communities.
Lawmakers and tribal leaders expressed frustration, noting that the office has made significant progress quickly.
With bipartisan momentum to override the veto, the fate of the MMIP office now lies in the hands of the Legislature.
Oklahoma Watch (OklahomaWatch.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.
