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Committee approves bill allowing Oklahoma Highway Patrol to donate retired vehicles to smaller agencies
Summary
The Senate committee voted to pass House Bill 2724, which would allow the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to donate retired patrol vehicles to law‑enforcement agencies in jurisdictions with populations under 100,000; the measure is permissive and directs OMES to set rules for transfers.
The Oklahoma Senate Committee on Retirement and Government Affairs on an apparent voice/roll call vote approved House Bill 2724, which would allow the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) to donate retired patrol vehicles to smaller law‑enforcement agencies instead of auctioning them.
Senator McIntosh, who explained the bill, said, “This bill simply adds to existing code regarding the Oklahoma Surplus Property Act and the disposition of retired OHP vehicles. It allows the OHP to donate to other smaller law enforcement agencies.” He moved that the committee “do pass.”
The bill creates a permissive authority rather than a requirement: as McIntosh told the committee, agencies “are not required to do it. So if they felt like they could use the money, they could go ahead and auction them off. If they felt like it wasn't very beneficial, they're allowed to donate them.” The measure limits recipients by a population threshold of 100,000 residents and delegates rulemaking to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to establish how transfers would occur.
Committee members questioned details and fairness. Senator Kurt asked, “Why is there a population limit in this?” and later pressed that a 100,000‑resident cutoff would exclude only a few counties and therefore include many that are not strictly ‘‘small.’’ Senator Stewart raised concerns about how the program could be administered fairly, saying, “I just anticipate some communities will get this benefit and others not. And so I just can't support it as written.”
Committee members also discussed practical condition and usefulness of vehicles. One senator asked about vehicle age and mileage and noted the patrol’s high mileage; McIntosh replied that the vehicles “would be new enough to be useful.” The transcript includes a question referencing “90,000 miles minimum,” indicating committee interest in minimum useful life but not specifying an exact standard in the bill text.
Several senators argued in favor of prioritizing rural and smaller communities that lack resources. A senator pointing to Cleveland County noted that populous counties also contain small towns that struggle for resources and warned that county cutoffs can obscure needs in smaller communities.
After debate the committee recorded six ayes and two nays and the chair declared the measure passed in committee.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 2724 — Motion: do pass (mover: Senator McIntosh; second: chair). Committee tally: 6 ayes, 2 nays. The committee record shows at least one explicit named no vote during roll call; the official committee roll call should be consulted for the full member‑level vote record.
The bill would amend application of the Oklahoma Surplus Property Act for the disposition of retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol vehicles and allow OMES to promulgate rules governing transfers; it would not compel OHP to donate vehicles.
