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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
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative bills target Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, aim to rein in agency's power
Lawmakers have filed a number of bills aiming to overhaul how the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority operates. The legislation, which ranges from giving legislators the power to set toll rates to rerouting a proposed controversial turnpike route in the Norman area, comes as the agency has faced increased scrutiny for its multi-billion dollar expansion project. 'We're reviewing all filed legislation related to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and will be reaching out to those legislators,' said Lisa Shearer-Salim, a turnpike authority spokeswoman. She declined to comment on the individual proposals. More: Oklahoma lawmakers to consider more than 3,000 bills for 2025 legislative session Some bills seek to remove the OTA's ability to increase tolls. The agency raised tolls Jan. 1 by an average of 15% to pay for the 15-year Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely, dubbed ACCESS. The initial estimated cost was $5.1 billion, but has risen to $8.2 billion. More toll hikes are expected to be considered. Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman, Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, and Sen. Jonathan Wingard, R-Ada, have all filed bills to prohibit the turnpike authority from raising tolls. The turnpike authority issues bonds to pay for new turnpikes and raises tolls to retire the debt on the bonds. House Bill 2097, authored by Menz, requires legislative approval before the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority can increase toll rates on any turnpikes in this state. Menz said her constituents believe the turnpike authority has abused its power. 'I am looking forward to hearing OTA's thoughts and concerns,' she said. Senate Bill 975, by Wingard, does the same thing but also prohibits the Legislature from approving increases that give more than a 10% discount to members of a certain class. Currently, those using PlatePay are charged considerably more than those using PikePass. Under PlatePay, a picture of the license plate is taken. The person to whom the vehicle is registered is mailed an invoice. Under PikePass, tolls are deducted from a prepaid account when a vehicle passes certain points on the turnpikes. It costs about 50% more to use PlatePay, but most customers are on PikePass, according to the turnpike authority. More: New Oklahoma toll rates go into effect; Drivers will see toll increases up to 20% Senate Bill 493, by Standridge, would prohibit the proposed Norman area turnpike from being built west of Lake Thunderbird State Park as is currently planned. Moving the alignment east could impact tribal land. 'It is of great concern to us,' said Absentee Shawnee Treasurer Joseph Blanchard. 'It would potentially be coming through Absentee Shawnee territory.' He said no one with the turnpike authority has reached out to tribal leaders. The land contains family burial sites and ceremonial grounds, he said. Standridge did not return a message seeking comment. Other bills would cap how much debt the agency could incur. Currently, there is no cap. More: Just say 'no' to Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's new $11B toll increase | Opinion Preventing tolls from being increased could potentially impact the turnpike authority's trust agreement and investors, said Bobby Stem, executive director of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors, a trade association that advocates for road and bridge infrastructure. 'No legislator ever wants to take a vote to increase taxes or fees,' Stem said. 'We understand why. However, this critical infrastructure will deteriorate if these investments are not made.' The placement and alignment of turnpikes is best left to professional engineers that have the expertise, he said. Stem said about half of the tolls collected are paid by out-of-state drivers. People who don't like paying tolls should find an alternative route, he said. 'We all would be getting to grandma's house 30 minutes later every Sunday if it weren't for some of these turnpikes,' Stem said. Lawmakers return Feb. 3 to the Capitol. Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@ Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Lawmakers trying to limit Oklahoma Turnpike Authority power
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative bills target Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, aim to reign in agency's power
A street sign marks the interchange of Interstate 40 and the Kilpatrick Turnpike. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – Lawmakers have filed a number of bills aiming to overhaul how the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority operates. The legislation, which ranges from giving legislators the power to set toll rates to rerouting a proposed controversial turnpike route in the Norman area, comes as the agency has faced increased scrutiny for its multi-billion dollar expansion project. 'We're reviewing all filed legislation related to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and will be reaching out to those legislators,' said Lisa Shearer-Salim, an OTA spokeswoman. She declined to comment on the individual proposals. Some bills seek to remove the OTA's ability to increase tolls. The agency raised tolls Jan. 1 by an average of 15% to pay for the 15-year Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely, dubbed ACCESS. The initial estimated cost was $5.1 billion, but has risen to $8.2 billion. More toll hikes are expected to be considered. Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman, Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, and Sen. Jonathan Wingard, R-Ada, have all filed bills to prohibit the OTA from raising tolls. The OTA issues bonds to pay for new turnpikes and raises tolls to retire the debt on the bonds. House Bill 2097, authored by Menz, requires legislative approval before the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority can increase toll rates on any turnpikes in this state. Menz said her constituents believe OTA has abused its power. 'I am looking forward to hearing OTA's thoughts and concerns,' she said. Senate Bill 975, by Wingard, does the same thing but also prohibits the Legislature from approving increases that give more than a 10% discount to members of a certain class. Currently, those using PlatePay are charged considerably more than those using PikePass. Under PlatePay, a picture of the license plate is taken. The person to whom the vehicle is registered is mailed an invoice. Under PikePass, tolls are dedicated from a prepaid account when a vehicle passes certain points on the turnpikes. It costs about 50% more to use PlatePay, but most customers are on PikePass, according to the OTA. Senate Bill 493, by Standridge, would prohibit the proposed Norman area turnpike from being built west of Lake Thunderbird State Park as is currently planned. Moving the alignment east could impact tribal land. 'It is of great concern to us,' said Absentee Shawnee Treasurer Joseph Blanchard. 'It would potentially be coming through Absentee Shawnee territory.' He said no one with OTA has reached out to tribal leaders. The land contains family burial sites and ceremonial grounds, he said. Standridge did not return a message seeking comment. Other bills would cap how much debt the agency could incur. Currently, there is no cap. Preventing tolls from being increased could potentially impact the OTA's trust agreement and investors, said Bobby Stem, executive director of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors, a trade association that advocates for road and bridge infrastructure. 'No legislator ever wants to take a vote to increase taxes or fees,' Stem said. 'We understand why. However, this critical infrastructure will deteriorate if these investments are not made.' The placement and alignment of turnpikes is best left to professional engineers that have the expertise, he said. Stem said about half of the tolls collected are paid by out-of-state drivers. People who don't like paying tolls should find an alternative route, he said. 'We all would be getting to grandma's house 30 minutes later every Sunday if it weren't for some of these turnpikes,' Stem said. Lawmakers return Feb. 3 to the Capitol. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
