Latest news with #Jech
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill targets unpaid Oklahoma turnpike tolls owed by those with trial tags
A street sign marks the interchange of Interstate 40 and the Kilpatrick Turnpike. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Tuesday passed a measure aimed at helping the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority collect tolls owed by owners of vehicles with tribal tags. Senate Bill 675 authorizes the Department of Public Safety to provide the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority with vehicle owner registration held by the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunications Systems network. 'The purpose of this bill is to allow tolls to be collected from those who are traveling on the state turnpike system but are not a part of the PikePass system and are not able to be invoiced, which is the case with many tribal vehicle registrations,' said Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, the author. PikePass deducts tolls from prepaid accounts when a vehicle passes certain locations. The state recently added PlatePay, where a picture of the tag is taken and an invoice is mailed to the person who holds the registration. Under the bill, information to be shared includes license plate details and the vehicle owner's name and address, Jech said. The OTA already receives tribal information through compacts with the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Cherokee tribes, Jech said. It also receives information through agreements with the Miami and Sac and Fox tribes, Jech said. 'So, tolls are being paid in those circumstances,' Jech said. An estimated 70% to 80% of tribal tags are covered through the compacts or agreements, Jech said. The bill would cover the remainder, Jech said. According to the OTA, nearly $12.6 million is owed from owners of tribal tags that are not under an agreement or compact. If agreements are reached with the remaining tribes prior to the effective date of the bill, which is Nov. 1, the language of the bill would not apply in those cases, Jech said. A similar bill got hung up in the House last session, Jech said. Jech said negotiations with the non-participating tribes have been productive. 'I am concerned that if we intervene at this point, then that will tilt kind of the negotiations and kind of leverage from both sides in those ongoing negotiations,' said Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City. Jech said Brooks had a valid point, but that was not his intent. 'I would take the other side,' Jech said. 'I think this would maybe encourage them.' Jech said he thinks all the parties involved have been operating in good faith. 'This is a fairness issue,' Jech said. 'If the Turnpike Authority is not able to obtain access to motor vehicle registration information, then they can not send an invoice for travel on our turnpike network, which is unfair to those who do pay for their travel.' The Senate Public Safety Committee passed the bill by a vote of 5-1 and heads to the full Senate for possible consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate panel passes bills aimed at protecting Oklahoma kids on social media
Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, attends a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting on Oct. 3, 2023. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Thursday passed measures designed to protect minors from the harmful effects of social media, despite concerns that enforcement might be difficult. 'I don't believe there's any dispute that much harm can be caused to our children by their use of social media,' said Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher. During an interim study, an expert cited high rates of suicide, depression, anxiety and eating disorders, Jech said. Cyber bullying, explicit content, peer influence and insufficient regulation increase the risks, he said. Senate Bill 931 would require social media platforms to perform reasonable age verification methods and provide supervisory tools or parental controls, Jech said, which is already happening in other states. Senate Bill 932, also by Jech, would allow a child, their parents or legal guardian to sue a social media platform for an adverse mental health outcome. The measure does not define what an adverse mental health outcome is. It requires that a minor be diagnosed by a licensed mental health care provider with an adverse outcome that was caused by the youth's excessive use of an algorithmically curated social media platform. The measure defines a curation algorithm as 'a computational process or set of rules used by a social media platform that determines, influences, or personalizes output that is designed to encourage prolonged or frequent engagement.' The panel also passed Senate Bill 885, dubbed the 'Safe Screens for Kids Act,' by Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore. The bill would require social media companies to receive parental consent before allowing minors to create an account. It would give parents full access to their child's accounts and only allow communication from accounts the minor follows. It would limit features like unlimited scrolling and targeted ads. Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, questioned how a person could ensure that it wasn't a minor pretending to be a parent giving approval. 'These kids on social media are a whole lot smarter than probably half the adults in this building,' Rosino said. Seifried said there will be some challenges and difficulties with enforcement, but the bill was a starting point. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, questioned how Oklahoma could go after a company based in another state like California. Seifried said she didn't want a patchwork system, but that she wanted to send a message that Oklahoma supports protecting kids. 'This bill is not without its issues,' she said. 'I recognize that.' She said she was concerned that the social media companies are tracking the child's behavior online and using it to try to sell them things. 'These companies are making money off of minors,' she said. All three bills passed out of the Senate Technology and Telecommunications Committee by a 7-0 vote and are available for consideration by the full Senate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
