Sen. Smalley & Rep. Cockroft Pass New Tax To Create New State Authority

The bill passed the House on a 70-16 vote. 
HB 3126 contains numerous provisions related to the Oklahoma 9-1-1 Management Authority Act, including

• creation of the Oklahoma 9-1-1 Management Authority (the “Authority”);
• administrative support from the OK Department of Emergency Management (OEM);
• creation of a revolving fund;
• imposition of a $0.75 monthly fee for wireless, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and prepaid wireless services;
• directing a portion of fees collected to certain providers and to the Tax Commission (OTC);
• and distribution of fee revenue to public agencies.

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Senator Jason Smalley & Representative Josh Cockroft

The $0.75 monthly fee imposed on wireless, VoIP, and prepaid wireless services represents a $0.25 increase for consumers. The current $0.50 fee for these same services is being collected by various entities and remitted to 11 separate locations (according to the Oklahoma Municipal League). Fee revenue per HB 3126 is to be collected by the provider or retailer and paid to OTC. Annualized fee revenue is calculated as follows (actual fee revenue was unavailable for certain elements, given the high number of collectors and remitting.