OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma lawmakers have toured the unfinished American Indian Cultural Center & Museum in Oklahoma City as administrators urge passage of legislation to provide funding to complete the structure.
More than a dozen members of the House and Senate walked through the incomplete building Tuesday as museum director Blake Wade urged passage of the $40 million funding measure.
The Senate-passed bill would take the money from the state's Unclaimed Property Fund to help complete the museum. The money would be matched with funds from Oklahoma's 39 federally recognized tribes, the city of Oklahoma City and private and corporate donors.
The bill is pending in the House and its author, Republican Rep. Dave Dank of Oklahoma City, says passage is not assured and may depend on lawmakers who belong to Oklahoma-based tribes.