OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel last 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 Pike-Pass 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.

Oklahoma Voice (oklahomavoice. com) is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. Oklahoma Voice provides nonpartisan reporting, and retains full editorial independence.