Oklahoma Weather Tracking Licensure Legislation

[Jeff Smith]

There were a lot of strategies and psychological tactics we used to fight this bill. I don't want to discuss details because we may need to use similar tactics with future bills. HB2426 was a mess by calculated design. Multiple, private conversations with legislative and public safety sources also helped. The biggest losers of this fight are the TV stations. They have now placed their crews under the constant microscope of chaser and public scrutiny -- to be plastered on social media. I warned Channel 9 this was going to happen, but they ignored me.

This--plus people need to know the truth about who issues warnings, how they are issues, and how the news stations have their bottom line at heart and NOT viewers' safety. (I am speaking in particular of the OKC station whom lobbied for the bill).

 

[Ben Holcomb]

It's finally dormant

https://twitter.com/x/status/1910382915046736138

 

[gdlewen]

i didn’t believe @Ben Holcomb but checked and found this:

Fetgatter to Further Study Storm Chasing Licensing Bill

Welcome to Oklahoma's House of Representatives website!

www.okhouse.gov

I can’t believe they are persisting with this bill, which violates the OK Constitution.

Deliberately obtuse. Willfully ignorant.

 

[Warren Faidley]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1910394456978915500

 

[Warren Faidley]

i didn’t believe @Ben Holcomb but checked and found this:

Fetgatter to Further Study Storm Chasing Licensing Bill

Welcome to Oklahoma's House of Representatives website!

www.okhouse.gov

I can’t believe they are persisting with this bill, which violates the OK Constitution.

Deliberately obtuse. Willfully ignorant.

I've been told by other legislators that the odds of this bill being re-introduced and passing is extremely low.

 

[gdlewen]

I've been told by other legislators that the odds of this bill being re-introduced and passing is extremely low.

If this is true then the whole "interim study" thing is a face-saving device to soften Fetgatter's crash-landing.

 

[Ken Perrin]

If this is true then the whole "interim study" thing is a face-saving device to soften Fetgatter's crash-landing.

I'll get in trouble if I say what I am thinking

 

[Mike Thornton]

Duuuuubbb

 

[gdlewen]

Update:

Over the summer, an interim study was listed as requested but never scheduled. Not sure why, but the studies need to be approved so either the issue was not pressed by Fetgatter/Mann or the study was not considered a priority.

I called Mann's office in October and was told that, although the bill has not been withdrawn, Senator Mann is not going to be pursuing its passage.

Obviously, in my opinion, we still need to keep our eyes on the OK Senate. I think it would go to the Senate Appropriations Committee next but the bill status will not be updated until next January at the earliest.

 

[Warren Faidley]

Update:

Over the summer, an interim study was listed as requested but never scheduled. Not sure why, but the studies need to be approved so either the issue was not pressed by Fetgatter/Mann or the study was not considered a priority.

I called Mann's office in October and was told that, although the bill has not been withdrawn, Senator Mann is not going to be pursuing its passage.

Obviously, in my opinion, we still need to keep our eyes on the OK Senate. I think it would go to the Senate Appropriations Committee next but the bill status will not be updated until next January at the earliest.

Thanks for the update. One of my contacts believes the next move would be to stop chaser congestion by regulating chase tours and similar entities that increase road congestion. This approach would be much easier to pass. I seriously doubt they will try the "media" angle anytime soon, but you never know. A lot depends on the pressure from local news companies. As I have said before, just one public or emergency responder vs. chaser accident and it's over --- and 2026 is going to be the most aggressive entertainer season in history.

 

[gdlewen]

... and 2026 is going to be the most aggressive entertainer season in history.

This got my attention. Although my question is off-topic: "Why do you think this?"

 

[Warren Faidley]

This got my attention. Although my question is off-topic: "Why do you think this?"

Not too far off topic because if someone is nailed, it will effect legislation.

I've been watching the storm-chasing community closely over the past 6–7 months, and it’s obvious that a growing number of chasers are itching to push closer than ever before next season. The comments, the gear upgrades, the tone — it all points in the same direction. Many are openly talking about new equipment, especially 360-degree cameras and armored vehicle mods, specifically to enable more “core-punch” style shots. And they’re basing their confidence somewhat on the success of 2025... calling it a “banner year” — a season packed with dramatic, up-close intercepts that went viral and set new benchmarks for what gets attention.

There’s also a clear social dynamic at play. Chasers see the massive followings and revenue that the top entertainer-chasers are pulling in, and they want to emulate that success. You can hear it in their language: excitement mixed with competitiveness, and a belief that the way to stand out now is to shave off more and more distance between themselves and the circulation.

What’s even more concerning is that many who were previously terrified of getting close seem to have lost that fear — not because the storms have become safer, but because, so far, no one has taken a catastrophic hit on camera. That absence of a high-profile accident is creating a dangerous illusion of safety. It’s emboldening people. The mindset is shifting from “I shouldn’t do this” to “Everyone else is getting away with it, so why not me?”

All of this adds up to the same conclusion:
Next year, storm chasers are going to push closer. A lot closer. And unless something changes, the odds are steadily rising that someone will finally pay the price.

This is not a comment in regards to policing chase behavior. People are free to chase as they wish. By now, everyone knows the personal, civil and legal ramifications of their pursuits if they screw up.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Thanks for the update. One of my contacts believes the next move would be to stop chaser congestion by regulating chase tours and similar entities that increase road congestion. This approach would be much easier to pass. I seriously doubt they will try the "media" angle anytime soon, but you never know. A lot depends on the pressure from local news companies. As I have said before, just one public or emergency responder vs. chaser accident and it's over --- and 2026 is going to be the most aggressive entertainer season in history.

This seems rather ironic to me as it would seem that tours would decrease traffic, if you assume that at least some of the guests would otherwise be chasing solo in separate vehicles.

 

[Warren Faidley]

This seems rather ironic to me as it would seem that tours would decrease traffic, if you assume that at least some of the guests would otherwise be chasing solo in separate vehicles.

This came from one of the people who was assisting in writing the bill. There was a push by someone who remains unknown to add a paragraph to the bill restricting tour groups. I believe the comments were in response to OHP, LEO's and researchers complaining about people walking in the travel lanes while stopped. It could have come from the main news media antagonist. I also doubt most people taking tours would try it on their own. It would be a very simple bill to write under transportation regulations. Only one tour group I'm aware of made any attempt to join the fight. Sad.

 

[Randy Zipser]

One of my contacts believes the next move would be to stop chaser congestion by regulating chase tours and similar entities that increase road congestion.

This makes little sense in terms of what priority is more important to the OK legislature: saving lives or decreasing road congestion. For-profit chasing tours are already likely to be more safety-conscious than individual chasers, due to both the awareness that other people's lives are their responsibility and the high costs of insurance that they must (or should) carry to offset the possibility of personal injury, accidents, etc. Chase tour operators are also more likely to take less-risky chances than "extreme" chasers and there are far fewer of them than non-tour chasers, so why would the OK pols single-out that particular class of storm chaser? They are not the ones who are causing the most problems in "chaser convergence" situations, as opposed to rude-driving and badly-behaving individuals on the roads in these storm situations.

If the OK pols go after the chase-tour operators, it seems as if they are "grasping at straws" to come up with some justification to continue to push this legislation forward. The reality is that Oklahoma will always attract tornado chasers, whether law-obeying, courteous, safe...or not! There's absolutely nothing any politician can do to change that fact. And, going after chase-tour operators won't make a bit of difference in the long-run...