New license plates bill passes Oklahoma House, would cost drivers

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Oklahoma drivers could soon need to find a new home for their license plates, perhaps a dumpster.

The legislature passed House Bill 3208 this week, requiring the executive director of the Oklahoma Tax Commission to initiate the replacement of state vehicle license plates with a new design.

"I think it's driven by public safety concerns," Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond said. "I have a letter from the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety asking us to do this."

Sen. Jolley is a co-author on the Senate side of the bill. He tells FOX 25, public safety lobbyists are working to get it passed through the Senate and onto the governor's desk.

Here are the basics: from July 1, 2016 through July 30, 2017, every driver would pay an additional $5.00 fee when renewing or getting a new license plates. The newly designed plates would start going out on January 1, 2017.

It's a move that could generate up to $18 million for the state, but not everyone's happy about it.

"[Republicans] give a tax cut with one hand, then make you spend money on new tags," Rep. Scott Inman, D-Oklahoma City said. "It's robbing Peter to pay Paul. It's a ridiculous system."

According to the fiscal impact statement, the license plates only cost $2.05 to make, less than half of what would be charged. Eighty-percent of the funds generated would go to the State Public Safety Fund, while the other 20-percent heads back to the Tax Commission to recoup the manufacturing and distribution costs.

"The only reason [Republicans] want you to pay more money is so they can fill their budget hole that they helped create," Rep. Inman said.

However, supporters say that's not the reason. In fact, Sen. Jolley insisted it's not nearly the most important thing in front of legislators right now.

"I don't know if it provides that much funding to alleviate a budget hole of $1.3 billion," he said.