By Conrad Easterday
Washita Valley Weekly Editor

State Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber, is relatively new to his seat in the Oklahoma House like Rep. Brad Boles (See page 8), who also represents Chickasha. But he’s not one to shy away from controversy.
One of his latest bills would remove the enforcement of some transportation laws from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to the Department of Public Safety. The measure seems common sense on the surface; the OCC is a regulatory body not a law enforcement agency. Enforcing those laws and operating the state’s ports of entry should be handled by law enforcement. The OCC disagrees.
‘Dick Lowe’
continued from Page 1
“They’re protective and they’re trying everything they can to hang onto that revenue and that authority,” Lowe said.
Fines levied at the ports of entry on Oklahoma’s borders total $9.1 million annually, a number that the OCC gave to Lowe, and one of the main reasons for the Commission to oppose the change. Bureaucracies don’t like to see their authority, or their revenues, reduced.
Information gathered by a state task force supports the reorganization.
“(The Legislature) has been trying to do this for 20 years, but this is the first time we created a task force and looked at what other states do,” the lawmaker explained.
Jobs will not be lost because of the changeover, if it makes it all the way to the governor’s desk. All OCC staff affected by the bill will be moved to the Department of Public Safety, Lowe noted.
And while Public Safety welcomes the $9.1 million, they’re more excited about plans to staff the ports of entry 24/7. Truck drivers who would ordinarily wait for the ports to close to avoid “overweight” fines will now have to pull onto the scales. The bonus for Oklahomans will be less damage to roads from overweight vehicles and less tax levied to fix the roads.
Another of Lowe’s bills is also related to transportation and also a common sense change in the law.
“If your tag is out of date one day, the law says your vehicle can be impounded,” he said. “And we have municipalities abusing this law. Many municipalities. Now, you’ll have 60 days. This is a common sense deal.”
A constituent requested the bill, after having a vehicle impounded, Lowe said. Farm families and ag businesses are especially at risk because they have so many vehicles, including trailers, to track and keep tagged.
Lowe’s common sense approach and reputation for integrity have elevated him to the assistant majority whip position in just his second term. In the next session, he is considered a sure bet to earn the chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
“I had a group (of legislators) come after me my first year,” he said. “Kind of threatened me if I didn’t say no (to a bill) that I wouldn’t get re-elected. I told them I’m 1. old, 2. retired and 3. I don’t need the job.”