BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Among six bills Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed on May 27, one was the bipartisan House Bill 2459, meant to enact an umbrella system of fire code enforcement for food trucks.
Gov. Stitt criticized the idea of requiring food truck operators to install a fire suppressor system, yet the final version of the bill did not include it.
WATCH: Stitt vetoes food truck bill, advocates against what bill didn't even have
Portable smokehouse Smokin Son of a Gunn owner Khrystina Gunn told 2 News at a Broken Arrow neighborhood event that her trailer just uses warmers and coolers instead of a kitchen inside.
"We're working hard and we just deserve to get a system where it's more streamlined, and not as, 'You gotta do this. You have to go over here and do this,'" Gunn said.
The alternative requirement, as Doghouse Tulsa owner Josh Lynch said, would be enforcing trucks to have a fire suppressor system, which is costly to get.
"I like that this has been brought up," Lynch said. "I don't mind if they said, 'Hey man, you need two or three fire extinguishers.' Right now there's just one. Okay, bump it up. That's a few hundred dollars instead of several thousands of dollars."
Both owners advocate for the language in HB2459, authored by Okmulgee Rep. Scott Fetgatter, which easily passed in both the state house and senate in May.
Its final version states a mobile food kitchen must comply with the most current fire code, carry one approved fire extinguisher, and be subject to inspections from Oklahoma Liquified Petroleum Gas Administration and a fire marshal once a year (twice a year if in Tulsa County or Oklahoma County).
The governor, much to the representative's confusion, vetoed the bill - yet advocated for exactly what the bill had.
"House Bill 2459 adds layers of new inspections, permitting, and operational hurdles that go far beyond what is necessary to keep the public safe. Forcing food truck operators, many of them small business owners, to install costly fire suppressor systems is an overreach. It’s already state law to have a fire extinguisher equipped, and that requirement is both reasonable and effective. Otherwise, we should trust Oklahomans to use common sense and make their own investments where they see fit. For these reasons, I have vetoed House Bill 2459."
Rep. Fetgatter told 2 News over the phone on May 28 the bill would not have forced operators to install fire suppressor systems and instead would only enforce uniform inspection standards in most of the state.
Nevertheless, the representative said given the support the bill already had, he will request an override of Stitt's veto before the legislative session ends.
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