By Rep. Jim Grego
The only meeting on the House calendar this week is the State Task Force on Motor Carrier Regulation and Enforcement, which is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6 in Room 450 at the Capitol. The agenda says the task force will discuss goals and objectives.
Last week, Gov. Stitt appointed United Petroleum Transport President and CEO Matt Herndon to chair this task force, which was created by legislation passed last session. The seven-member body will evaluate the regulatory environment of the trucking industry and make recommendations to the state Legislature on how to improve it.
As vice chair of the House Transportation Committee, I’m very interested to see what this task force reports.
On the topic of transportation, I’ve seen reports showing the transition to cashless tolls is protected to cost the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority $27 million over the next year as it eliminates toll booths on the Will Rogers, Turner and Indian Nations turnpikes.
State Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz reported to Turnpike Authority board members the losses stem from blocked tags, out-of-state and foreign tags, unreadable tags and plates issued by state tribes. The agency reports that some drivers are racking up unpaid cashless tolls of $600 or more. Gatz said the Turnpike Authority will continue to work on this problem. I will be watching to see what may need to be done legislatively.
I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend as we close out summer. I’m sure hoping for some cooler weather soon.
As always, thank You for allowing me to serve you. I can be reached at (405) 557-7381 or by email at jim.grego@okhouse.gov.
- Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Latimer County and part and Pittsburg County.
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