Rep. Humphrey defends vote against toll info sharing bill amidst Governor's critique

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, issued a statement on Monday in response to Governor Kevin Stitt's criticism of his vote against a bill that would authorize the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to provide the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) vehicle registration information.

Senate Bill 1907 would reportedly allow the sharing of information that is available through the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (OLETS) network.

Humphrey reported that on Friday, April 12, Gov. Stitt 'criticized' the House members who voted no on the measure in the House Public Safety Committee, causing the bill to fail.

In his press conference, Gov. Stitt called it a 'headscratcher.'

Representative Goodwin, Representative Hardin, Representative Humphrey, Representative Kane, Representative Lowe, and Representative May voted against it. It's a headscratcher. I have no idea why you think that you should allow one race of people not to pay on the turnpikes.... We're breaking the law by allowing vehicles to run up and down the turnpike without collecting it [tolls]. I don't know why everybody's not outraged by this. You'll have to go ask those six people why they think that's a bad idea. Again, that was a shocker for me. But guess what? The Indian Tribes were all around the room with their lobbyists, walking these halls, influencing, saying 'Hey give us a special exception we don't have to pay these fees.' That's the only logical explanation is they're being lobbied by folks that want something for free and they want everybody else to pay for it.

Humphrey also said Gov. Stitt has 'accused the Cherokee Nation of owing the state $4.7 million for Cherokee tag information that cannot be accessed by the OTA's tag readers.'

It is no secret Governor Stitt has numerous disputes with Oklahoma tribes, and I was certainly not stunned by his position on this bill. But his personal aggression did come as a total surprise since neither he nor anyone from his office contacted me concerning my vote. For more there is a much larger component, which is that OLETS shouldn't be used for anything other than law enforcement. This bill seeks to commandeer OLETS for the purpose of toll fee collection. I truly believe this would compromise the integrity of our law enforcement by releasing confidential information designated solely for their purposes.

Humphrey added that he would 'not apologize' for protecting the integrity of law enforcement, and that the OTA 'knew' the installment of digital tag readers would result in 'significant loss of income.'

I love Governor Stitt and the great people at the Turnpike Authority, but I will not apologize for protecting the integrity of law enforcement and for trying to work with our Tribal nations. I feel the Turnpike Authority has pursued several questionable practices to recover their loss. Hijacking OLETS is only one method the authority has employed. Another is to prevent a person from purchasing a tag unless all their turnpike fees are paid. I feel strongly it is wrong to coerce someone to pay or force them to violate another state law - driving with an out-of-date tag. Let me state clearly, I believe tribal and non-tribal citizens should pay equally for turnpike use. I have visited with many tribal members, and I have not talked to one tribal citizen who disagreed. In fact, the Choctaw Nation, which has its capital in my district, has already reached an agreement and continues to provide their information. Therefore, the issues reverts to the issue of tribal compacts for our other tribal nations.

Humphrey also 'pledged' to help Gov. Stitt recover the $4 million in lost revenue, saying he would start by looking at inefficiencies in other areas of government.

To watch Gov. Stitt's full press conference, visit here.

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