Legislation calling for a feasibility study on passenger rail service from Tulsa to Springfield, Mo., became effective Friday, but its Senate author already believes the rail line would be financially infeasible.
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Senate Joint Resolution 14 by Sen. Bill Brown, R-Broken Arrow, and Rep. Dennis Adkins, R-Tulsa, urges the U.S. Department of Transportation to examine the possibility of passenger train service between Tulsa and Springfield.
The resolution was among a handful of bills passed by the Legislature last session that became effective Friday.
"I think it's a dead horse,” Brown said of the issue.
A passenger train between Tulsa and Springfield would have to be subsidized, and he doubts that can happen, Brown said.
"I would love it personally,” he said of a passenger line between Tulsa and Springfield.
Brown also would like to have an Amtrak service from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, he said.
National passenger rail service to Tulsa ended in the 1980s, according to the resolution.
It said Tulsa is the fifth largest metropolitan region in the United States without Amtrak service.
The Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas, passenger train service has been in operation for several years.
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Additional legislation
Other legislation that went into effect Friday included:
Judicial and DA redistricting
•Senate Bill 990 would create a Judicial and District Attorney Redistricting Task Force.
•Redistricting involves the redrawing of district lines to conform to the latest census data.
•The task force will be composed of 14 members.
Film industry
•Another bill taking effect Friday was Senate Bill 623, which involves the film industry in Oklahoma.
•The bill modifies the existing Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program by lowering the minimum budget required for a film to participate in the rebate program.
•The bill would lower the minimum budget from the current $2 million to $500,000 for eligibility for a 15 percent rebate on Oklahoma expenditures. The purpose of this legislation would be to bring more film production to Oklahoma.
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Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.