Letter: Onerous regulation

Federal mandates are needlessly costing taxpayers millions. The federal government mandates a set percentage allocated to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for every highway contract. A DBE is usually a startup, a smaller, newer contractor that is woman or minority-owned.

Unfortunately, 11 times in the last 18 months, the lowest bids did not meet the DBE goal, resulting in the bid’s rejection and the selection of higher bids cumulatively costing over $7.6 million more.

Oklahoma is being singled out and forced to accept roughly a 20% DBE mandate, double that of some other states, due to a historical grievance filed when Biden was vice president, alleging insufficient minority subcontractor employment by ODOT.

The $7.6 million is just the starting point. The mandate creates significant hurdles. There aren’t enough DBEs in Oklahoma, leading to delays and higher costs as contractors scramble to meet quotas.

The search for available and reasonably priced DBEs is time-consuming and costly, with the average contractor spending approximately $2,500 per bid. With bids opened bi-weekly, these costs quickly add up and ultimately fall on taxpayers.

Such mandates’ direct and indirect costs place a heavy burden on taxpayers.

I support providing opportunities for underrepresented groups. However, we must balance that with overall costs and whether this achieves its goal.

Editor’s Note: T.W. Shannon represented Oklahoma House District 62 from 2007 to 2015. He served as Oklahoma’s first Black House speaker from 2013-2014. 

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