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Governor criticizes tribal license-plate sales, says tribes owe more than $5 million in turnpike fees
Summary
Governor (name not specified), the governor of Oklahoma, said tribal license-plate sales do not send revenue for state roads and that the state’s turnpike system is owed "up to over $5,000,000," urging uniform treatment of motorists and more investigative reporting.
Governor (name not specified), the governor of Oklahoma, raised concerns about tribal license-plate sales and turnpike revenue during the press conference, saying specialty plates tied to tribes do not send money to the state for roads and bridges and that the state’s turnpike system has not been made whole.
"When you see a creek tag, a license plate, none of that money goes to the state of Oklahoma for roads or bridges or anything," the governor said, and added reporters should investigate the practice of selling and printing tags.
He said law enforcement lacks information about some of those plates and said the unpaid amount owed to the state is "up to over $5,000,000". The governor argued for treating all motorists equally on turnpikes and asked why the media were not running more coverage of the issue.
"I cannot, in good conscience, as the governor of Oklahoma, allow you to drive illegally on the roads and sell tags in Guymon and Guthrie and Edmond," he said, and urged making turnpikes free for everyone only after resolving outstanding payments and enforcement questions.
The governor did not announce specific legislation or enforcement steps at the press conference; he encouraged reporters to pursue coverage and urged the legislature to address perceived inequities in how specialty plates and turnpike fees are handled.
