All Oklahoma Drivers Could Soon Receive New License Plates
As our state drives forward into its second century, Oklahomans will be driving with a newly designed license plate if House Bill 3326 becomes law.
House Bill 3326, by state Rep. Ken Miller, passed out
of the House Appropriations and Budget committee
today. It creates a new license plate to be issued to all
Oklahoma cars in 2009 and would be the first new tag
design in almost 16 years.
Under the legislation, drivers will not have to pay any new charge to receive the updated license plate and it will be a convenient and seamless process. They will receive the new plate when they renew their tag on their regular registration date.
"What a better time to reissue our license plates with a new design than the start of Oklahoma's second century and build on the momentum of our centennial? Creating a new attractive plate will boost the state's image for residents, visitors and individuals who see these plates on the road, and it will be a great way to demonstrate that Oklahoma is moving into a new centennial with excitement, drive and momentum," said Miller, R-Edmond.
"Reissuing license plates to all Oklahoma drivers will
provide safety benefits that have been lost because of
diminished reflectivity. This will also help law
enforcement identify those who are breaking the laws," added Miller.
Oklahoma has never done a statewide reissue of all plates and is one of only 16 states that have not done a reissue.
According to the Insurance Research Council, 15 percent of Oklahomans were without car insurance in 2006. By providing new plates to insured drivers in a single calendar year, Miller said non-compliant drivers will become very visible to law enforcement.
State lawmakers have voted to purchase an abandoned southeastern Oklahoma rail line.
Members of the House General Government and Transportation Committee voted 8-5 on Monday to send the bill to the House floor for a vote.
Rep. Shane Jett of Tecumseh says he wants to revitalize a rail line in economically depressed areas of five southeastern Oklahoma counties its runs through. The line has been abandoned since 1991.
Jett says it would cost about $6 million to purchase the line from Union Pacific. Revitalizing it would cost between $20 million and $50 million more.
Opponents including Rep. Rex Duncan of Sand Springs say if reopening the rail line was a good idea it would already have been done by the private sector. 
A resolution that would modify Oklahoma's primary method of financing municipal governments advanced from the Rules Committee of the Oklahoma House on a bipartisan 5-4 vote.
The legislation would require that 1 percent of sales tax collections be placed into a special fund. The money in that fund would then be distributed to all Oklahoma towns based on population, allowing towns with fewer retail outlets to receive a share of the taxes paid by their residents forced to shop in other towns with a superior retail presence.
