OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – An Oklahoma State Senate bill that would have imposed turnpike tolls on motorists who operate vehicles with tribal tags failed to pass through the public safety committee on Wednesday, March 15. Senate Bill 675 was originally introduced in the senate on Jan. 15 and was engrossed in the house on March 26. The bill includes language that would have given the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority the ability to access vehicle owner registration from the Department of Safety if that information was not already provided by another sovereign jurisdiction. The state claims it has lost millions of dollars in unpaid tolls by tribal citizens who are enrolled in tribes who are not compacted with the state.
Section F of SB 675 states:
Unless vehicle owner registration information is made available to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority through a registering agency of this state or any other state, territory, district, province, nation, or other jurisdiction that permits access to such information upon request or by agreement, the Department of Public Safety may provide the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority with vehicle owner registration information within this state that is available through the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunication Systems network. This provision shall only apply for the purpose of toll collection for vehicles identified by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s video toll collection system.
This comes just nine days after the state’s tobacco compact extension with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation expired on March 31. According to Press Secretary Jason Salsman, the Nation is still in talks to reach an agreement. The state already has a license tag agreement with Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation.
During a press conference, Governor Kevin Stitt expressed his concerns over the bill. According to Stitt, he believes all residents of the state should be required to pay tolls.
“The fact that you have the Muscogee Creeks that have killed this bill, because they want to drive on the turnpikes for free, I think Oklahomans find that disgusting, I think Oklahomans find that ridiculous,” Governor Stitt said. “We have a compact with the Cherokees, with the Choctaws, with the Chickasaws, we know who the tags belong to, they’re just like Oklahomans, it’s the same billing process. Listen, nobody likes paying turnpike fees, let’s make them free for everybody. But I can’t be a fair governor to say ‘you’re going to pay a fee to drive on the turnpike, but theirs is free’.”
MCN Principal Chief David Hill released a public response to Governor Stitt’s comments. According to Chief Hill, the turnpikes that run through the Mvskoke Reservation should have never been constructed in the first place without consultation from the Nation:
More divisive and ignorant rhetoric from the Governor. It’s not the first time we’ve heard this, trust me.
‘Indians get everything for free! Indians don’t pay taxes! They get free college!’ And now, it seems the new one ‘The Creeks want to drive on the turnpikes for free!’ The same turnpikes that were built on our Reservations? That bear our names? That we were never consulted during their concept or construction? Never mind that we receive zero percentage on the collection of tolls.
If we wanted to drive the turnpikes for free, we wouldn’t have an entire fleet of tribal vehicles, that get their Pike Pass first thing. We wouldn’t have thousands of tribal citizens with Pike Passes. The killing of SB 675 is a win for tribal consultation, and a loss for authoritarian, one-size-fits-all state and tribal governance. We’re thrilled that there are many who see the value of this and want to work together on real issues and not be divided by false narratives and politics.
Governor Stitt claimed that the matter of unpaid turnpike tolls was a racial issue that is unfair to fellow Oklahomans who do not drive vehicles with tribal tags.
“I think this is a 95, or 98 or 99 percent issue with Oklahomans. The turnpike should not be based on race, it shouldn’t be based on where you live in the state, it shouldn’t be based on what tag you have on your car. Everyone that drives the turnpike should pay the same amount.”
To read SB 675 in its entirety, visit the Oklahoma State legislature’s website, oklegislature.gov.
Dont be a hater because your not indian. Indians done a lot for this country from the start. And they should have more leniency because of their heritage. After all it’s indian land were talking about.
Not all Oklahoma residents care that tribal members dont pay to drive on turnpikes that were built on their lands, or anywhere. Nor do we care that they’re given what little bit of “free” things they’re given. They’re OWED that. They deserve that. What isnt “fair” is making them pay for something they had no say in running through their land. I care more about the rights and civil liberties being stripped away by an authoritarian/oligarchy government. I care more that its painfully obvious that the leaders of this country have learned nothing from our history and are dooming us to repeat it despite the clear documentation over said history of how badly it failed our country and its people.
I believe that all of the turn pikes are crap. the money that is collected where does it go. sure isn’t repair of roads. Drive any one of them just one time. horrible. And now you have raised prices to the point alot of people cannot travel them because of price. You charge extra to mail out charges. Who in the world gives the toll rd commission the authority to raise prices like they just did. That should have been approved by election or the house and senate. Not by a hand full of people sitting around a table. I personally like alot of other people am trying to avoid the crap tole rds in Oklahoma
I’ve grown up in Oklahoma. my grandmother is American Indian that didn’t have a roll number. I feel if I should have to pay so should everyone else. I don’t think it’s fair that they don’t pay just because of a roll number. I don’t get anything for free.
The governor thinks it’s unfair for tribe members to drive toll roads for free! I’d say, since the tribes land, split the proceeds or Shut Up!
greed controls stitts mind, maybe the tribes should research the income of the turnpikes in Oklahoma, and get back pay, that would be fair, and when that is even maybe the tribes affected could talk about this issue only stitt keeps bringing up, the state gets millions maybe billions of dollars because tribes are here, how can he not see how much the state benefits from us, is he blind and deaf. he is what we call an apple(red outside-benefits, white inside-greed) should tribes build their own toll collections? do you really want to open another can of worms, some non-indians I have talked to say they’re fine with indians not paying tolls because it was our land in the first place, you, stitt are causing racial division among oklahomans
if you want a real opinion, no members of any tribe in this are should be charged turnpike tolls. they were forced off of their own land and forced to move, now you want them to pay for being where they were forced to move. Kevin Stitt is an idiot, can’t wait to get rid of that moron.
the state doesn’t keep up with maintenance anyway. no one should have to pay!!!