President Ronald Reagan, a big supporter of the Earned Income Tax Credit

In all of the major income tax proposals this year (including the plan announced yesterday by Senate Republicans), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has been targeted for elimination. That’s strange, because lawmakers have made no clear argument for why we should lose this credit. They’ve spoken about the need to end handouts to “corporate special-interests,”  but the EITC goes to low-income working families.

It’s also strange because the EITC has a long history of support from conservative leaders. For example, at the State Chamber of Oklahoma’s tax policy forum earlier this month, Arthur Laffer said he would favor a “negative income tax” that pays credits to those earning below a certain amount.

The negative income tax idea has a long conservative pedigree, beginning with Milton Friedman. According to Friedman, the most efficient and effective way to solve poverty is to give poor people money. This preserves their ability to make market choices and reduces the need for bureaucracy to run more complicated assistance programs, such as food stamps and rent subsidies. To maintain the incentive to work, the payment is reduced by a fraction for each dollar the family earns. Rising wages would eventually eliminate the credit, but not so quickly that it makes more sense to stay unemployed.

The EITC is closely modeled after Friedman’s proposal, though it goes beyond that to create an even larger incentive to work. At the lowest income levels, the value of the credit increases for each dollar earned.

The federal EITC was originally proposed by the Nixon administration and expanded under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. President Reagan called it “the best antipoverty, the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress.”

In 2001, under Republican Governor Frank Keating, Oklahoma joined the 24 states with a state-level EITC. Oklahoma’s EITC supplements the federal credit by an additional 5 percent. It goes to about 1 out of 4 Oklahoma families. In 2009, the state EITC was claimed on 307,253 Oklahoma tax returns for a total of $31.9M and an average benefit of about $104. You can see a breakdown of EITC benefits by legislative district here.

The EITC furthers conservative goals. In this short video, Oklahomans shared personal stories of how the EITC helps them invest in the future and build a better life for their children. A large number of studies show that the credit stimulates people to join the work force and reduces the number on welfare. And at a time when bipartisan cooperation can be hard to come by, the EITC has been praised by all sides.

So why are Oklahoma lawmakers proposing to end it? The pressure is on to cut the top income tax rate, but any tax cut requires trade-offs. Losing such an important incentive for working families would be a bad trade.

Read more about the EITC and other broad-based tax credits that are being threatened in our issue brief, “The Tax Cut Bait and Switch.” A 1-page action alert on defending broad-based credits is available here. To find out what you can do, go to the take action page.

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Today you should know that Senate Republicans unveiled a revenue-neutral plan to cut the top income tax rate to 4.25 percent over the next two years while eliminating and modifying numerous tax breaks and exemptions. OK Policy released a statement that commends the Senate for recognizing tax cuts must be paid for but cautions against parts of their plan that would hike taxes on low-income families and seniors. House members and Governor Fallin continue to push for a larger tax cut without saying how it would be paid for in budget cuts or increases in other taxes.

Reuters analyzed state income tax collections across the country, finding that revenue is growing but not by enough to ease budget crises. The director of the Oklahoma School Boards Association writes in NewsOK that we need to stop the erosion of funding for schools. A Norman High School junior writes in The Norman Transcript about how choosing tax cuts over school funding has harmed her education. NewsOK examines how OU and OSU have reduced services and increased tuition following state budget cuts.

Chesapeake Energy Corp increased a planned loan by another $1 billion even as its credit rating deteriorated. The company’s troubles are putting thousands of Chesapeake workers’ retirement portfolios at risk, because they are heavily invested in Chesapeake stock. American Airlines said an estimated 2,100 jobs could be lost in Tulsa after mechanics rejected the company’s final labor contract offer.

NewsOn6 travelled to Oregon to find out what it’s like in an open carry state. NewsOK criticized “politics run amok” at the Oklahoma Capitol, citing the refusal to hear Jim Roth’s nomination to the election board, Labor Commissioner Mark Costello campaigning for Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, and a resolution against same sex marriage.

The Number of the Day is the total annual cost to the taxpayers of maintaining Oklahoma’s prison system. In today’s Policy Note, Planet Money graphs how federal government spending has changed in the last 50 years.

In The News

Senators release income tax plan; still at odds with House and Governor

Senate leaders Tuesday unveiled a revenue-neutral plan to slash the income tax by one-half of 1 percent over the next two years, a move that clearly caught officials from the House and governor’s office off guard. Flanked by the GOP caucus at a hastily called news conference, Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman released details of the plan that would pay for the cuts by eliminating and modifying numerous tax breaks and exemptions. A nearly 200-page bill later was approved by a Senate committee. Closed-door discussions between the House, Senate and Gov. Mary Fallin’s office on how to reduce the state’s income tax have been heating up in recent days as lawmakers race toward a May 25 deadline for adjournment. While none of the three sides would acknowledge talks have broken down, the move by the Senate shows there is no agreement on how to reduce the income tax.

Read more The Enid News and Eagle.

See also: STATEMENT: Senate Republican tax plan makes progress but still puts unfair burden on working families from Oklahoma Policy Institute

State income up in April, but may not be enough

Personal income tax collections in states in April might have grown an average of more than 7 percent, but for some the increase may not be enough to ease budget crises. Reuters found that the average increase of personal income tax collections in April 2012 from April 2011 for the 20 states for which data is available was 7.3 percent. April is typically a big revenue month for the 41 states with personal income taxes: wage earners face a mid-month deadline to report and pay tax liabilities incurred in the previous year. And in April 2011, states saw a sharp reversal in fortune, with some reporting growth in individual tax collections of more than 25 percent from the year before. This year, the growth continued, but for many states it was not as robust. The 10.3 percent jump in Oklahoma’s income taxes, fueled by a relatively low jobless rate, counter-balanced five months of slumping gross production taxes on oil and natural gas. Ohio in April took in $1.29 billion in income taxes, surpassing estimates by 6.7 percent but lagging April 2011′s total by 8.3 percent, according to its budget office. The lower revenue was due to the final step of a phased-in rate cut. Much of the reason for the 31.6 percent increase in Illinois was a 67 percent hike in the personal income tax rate approved in January 2011, according to the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

Read more from Reuters.

School Boards head says more education funding a must in Oklahoma

Some lawmakers and the governor are saying next year’s budget will be flat. To them this means no increases in funding and no decreases. To everyone else, this isn’t the status quo. Flat equals a cut. Many Republican and Democrat legislators understand this fact and continue to stand up for public education. With no new funding for public education, children will continue to face larger class sizes and the loss of great teachers as well as programs and other learning opportunities. As enrollment increases in districts, funding from the state isn’t keeping up. Districts have implemented every cost-cutting method possible to avoid raising class sizes. However, schools can no longer make these adjustments without impacting the classroom. The children of our state should be a priority; unfortunately over the last several years, schools have continued to receive cuts that have been detrimental to the classroom.

Read more from NewsOK.

Abolishing income tax is not beneficial

My name is Emily Frech, and I am a junior at Norman High School. I am writing about the issue of the Oklahoma state legislature’s proposed abolishment of the state income tax, which will have a detrimental effect on Oklahoma high schools such as the one I attend. I am currently studying for my Advanced Placement comparative politics exam with a textbook published in 2005. The test will cover material up to 2010, yet I have no choice but to study with my outdated textbook, as no study guides exist for this particular AP exam. I was told I could purchase a new textbook on the Internet if I wished, but I could not afford its steep $112.23 price. Norman High’s comparative politics students are likely to obtain lower scores than students in other states because our state legislature chooses to cut taxes instead of providing for Oklahoma students.

Read more from The Norman Transcript.

In the face of a shrinking budget, University of Oklahoma department pulls out faculty phones

Try to call any professor in the University of Oklahoma’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and you’re bound to be disappointed. For the past several years, the department has been looking for ways to trim costs in response to several rounds of budget cuts. As the department’s budget continues to shrink, administrators tried to identify the cuts that students would feel the least. One solution they found, said department Director Randa Shehab, was pulling telephones out of faculty offices. Cost-cutting measures like that one aren’t unique, OU President David Boren said. As OU has seen about $100 million in cuts and unfunded cost increases over the past three years, the university’s individual colleges have had to absorb roughly 18 percent budget cuts. The Oklahoma higher education system has seen its budget slashed 9.4 percent over the past four years. In that period, OU has raised its undergraduate in-state tuition 8.8 percent. Oklahoma State University has raised its tuition 9.2 percent in the same period.

Read more from NewsOK.

Chesapeake hikes loan as credit ratings fade

Chesapeake Energy Corp increased a planned loan even as its credit rating deteriorated on Tuesday, adding pressure on the natural gas producer to deliver crucial asset sales. The company, which has sought to soothe investors angered by recent disclosures about its chief executive’s potential conflicts of interest, boosted a planned $3 billion bridge loan to $4 billion. There was strong demand for the junk-rated debt that it needs to cover a cash shortfall brought on by the weakest natural gas prices in a decade. Shares in Chesapeake slumped fell 5.6 percent to their lowest level in more than three years on Tuesday, hurt by news that Standard & Poor’s had cut the company’s credit rating another notch into non-investment, or junk, status to ‘BB-’. Still, debt investors appeared eager to snap up the chance to buy into the company’s newest high-yield debt offering, with commitments for the loan offered by Goldman Sachs and Jefferies Group believed to have reached about $12 billion, more than three times the planned increase.

Read more from Reuters.

Big stock position puts Chesapeake employees at risk

The woes of Chesapeake Energy Corp are hitting shareholders hard, including its employees. Thousands of Chesapeake workers have retirement portfolios that are heavily invested in Chesapeake stock, which has declined sharply following revelations about Chief Executive Aubrey K. McClendon’s business dealings. But while retail and institutional investors have sold the stock, employees don’t always have that option. Overall, 38 percent of Chesapeake Energy’s Savings & Incentive Stock Bonus Plan – the only 401(k) plan available to the majority of the firm’s employees – is in company stock, far above the 10 percent many plan consultants advise. Currently, Chesapeake says about 4,000 employees are restricted from selling shares the company puts into their retirement portfolios to “match” the employee’s own contribution in the plan. Most companies stopped offering 401(k) matches in stock after the 2001 collapse of Enron Corp, where employees were unable to sell their shares as the company went bankrupt.

Read more from Reuters.

Union groups reject contract offer from American Airlines

An estimated 2,100 jobs could be lost at the American Airlines maintenance hub in Tulsa after mechanics rejected the company’s final labor contract offer, the embattled airline confirmed Tuesday. The Transport Workers Union said Tuesday that five of its work groups approved the company’s offer, while two others rejected it. The mechanics group, the largest TWU group at the Tulsa facility, rejected the offer, with 56 percent voting against it. The stores clerks group also voted it down, with 51 percent opposed. For the two groups voting “no,” the embattled airline said it would pursue its request before the bankruptcy court judge to throw out current labor contracts for pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. A ruling is expected in early June. Machinist Joe McGill said the vote to reject the offer was like “drawing a line in the sand” because workers were fed up with so many concessions to the company. For the five groups that voted “yes,” workers are giving up certain parts of their contract, such as retiree medical benefits, wages and vacation.

Read more from the Associated Press.

What it’s like in an open carry state

Oklahoma has looser gun laws in its sights. State legislators, last week, passed a bill that will allow Oklahomans to openly carry guns in public. The bill is now awaiting Governor Mary Fallin’s signature. Fallin has already pledged her support to a “responsible” open carry law if it came to her desk. Senate Bill 1733 would essentially allow people who get concealed carry permits to openly carry their guns as well. We wanted to see what an open carry state is like, so our Oklahoma Impact Team traveled to Oregon where it is already legal to carry guns openly in public. The open carriers said they’ve rarely had negative reactions from people. They say most people don’t even notice, but their guns do seem to attract the attention of children who then alert their parents. But local police say people do notice open carriers. “For someone to be walking through the streets of downtown Medford with a rifle slung over his shoulder, that’s going to generate a call for service,” said Medford Police Chief Tim George. “Someone is going to call us and say hey, there’s a guy walking around here that’s got this rifle.” Chief George says open carrying hasn’t caused any major problems but it definitely makes some people feel uneasy. When police get calls about guns they always go check it out.

Read more from NewsOn6.

Politics run amok at the Oklahoma Capitol? You bet

JIM Roth is right on the money in surmising that his nomination to serve on the Oklahoma State Election Board is being scuttled because of “politics run amok.” There’s plenty of that going on these days in and around the Capitol. Roth would bring to the election board a bright mind and great passion, just as he did as an Oklahoma County commissioner and a member of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. We would argue that Roth was one of the best elected officials in the county’s history. Government needs more people like him, not fewer. Gov. Mary Fallin recognizes Roth’s abilities, which is why she plucked his name from the 11 submitted by the state Democratic Party to be considered for the election board post. In her view, he was the most qualified. If members of the Senate Rules Committee would spend 10 minutes with Roth, they would come away impressed by his professionalism and ability. Our guess is some members may know him already or know of him — including the fact Roth is gay. Could that possibly be the reason why his nomination isn’t being heard?

Read more from NewsOK.

Quote of the Day

Gov. Mary Fallin, one of the most adamant supporters of this bill, insists on her official website that, as governor, she will create “a system where good teachers and good schools are rewarded.” My school is not just good, Gov. Fallin, it is excellent. Please start treating it as such.
-Norman High School junior Emily Frech, writing in The Norman Transcript about how choosing tax cuts over school funding has harmed her education

Number of the Day

$4.5 million

The total annual cost to the taxpayers of maintaining Oklahoma’s prison system, housing an average of 24,549 inmates a day, FY 2010

Source: Pew Center on the States

See previous Numbers of the Day here.

Policy Note

50 years of government spending, in 1 graph

Of each dollar the federal government spends, how much goes to defense? How much goes to Social Security? How much goes to interest on the debt? And how has this sort of thing changed over time? The graphic below answers these questions. It shows the major components of federal spending 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and last year. Medicaid, Medicare and other health services are the huge gainers here. Together, they make up a quarter of government spending. Fifty years ago Medicare and Medicaid didn’t even exist, and federal spending on other health-related services made up a tiny sliver of the whole. Federal spending has grown roughly as fast as the overall economy over the past 50 years. In 1962, federal spending was $707 billion and accounted for 18 percent of U.S. GDP. In 2011, federal spending was $3.1 trillion and accounted for 24 percent of GDP. (The dollar figures are adjusted for inflation.)

Read more from Planet Money.

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We commend the Senate Republicans for committing to the principles that tax cuts must be paid for and that triggers are too risky during uncertain economic times. However, we have serious concerns that their plan puts an unfair burden on low-income working families and seniors. Tax cuts should be paid for, but not by raising taxes on working families. The plan eliminates the additional personal exemption for low-income seniors, and it ends the state Earned Income Tax Credit, a vital support to encourage work and investment while keeping families off welfare. Especially troubling is that the Senate plan makes the sales tax relief credit nonrefundable, while at the same time, several special-interest tax credits become refundable. The coal, wind, and construction industries would receive money back on their tax returns, but not working families who continue to pay a significant part of their incomes in sales taxes on groceries.

Read more about the EITC and other broad-based tax credits that are being threatened in our issue brief, “The Tax Cut Bait and Switch.” A 1-page action alert on defending broad-based credits is available here.

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Revenue growth triggers are the latest gambit in this effort. Under triggers, automatic tax cuts would go into effect whenever revenues increase by a certain percentage. Supporters say that triggers promote fiscal responsibility because they prevent us from cutting taxes during a recession.

The word out of the Capitol is that Governor Fallin is pushing to include triggers in the final proposal that comes out of conference committee. Triggers were part of the Governor’s original plan, and they have been added by the Legislature to two other bills.

We previously discussed why triggers are bad policy in general. An examination of the specific language in these triggers reveals numerous ways that they would not protect us from cutting taxes when we cannot afford it.

For example, the triggers added by the House onto SB 1571 would cut the top rate any time state revenues increased by at least 2.5 percent from year to year. First of all, 2.5 percent is a much too low bar for growth. Inflation over the last year was 3.2 percent, which is fairly typical. Inflation rose above 2.5 percent in six out of the last ten years. In any of these years, 2.5 percent revenue growth would have meant income rose more slowly than expenses. The state would be cutting services even without a tax cut.

Second, a year to year trigger ignores whether the growth was due to a boom economy or merely a partial recovery from a recession. Revenues could drop by 20 percent and never be allowed to recover, because every bit of growth triggers another cut. In fact, that’s exactly what happened in January, when a trigger reduced the top rate from 5.5 percent to 5.25 percent even though revenues remain substantially lower than they were in FY ’08. That trigger took $125 million out of the budget at a time when schools are being forced to lay off teachers. Lawmakers seem to have very short memories.

The triggers added by the Senate to HB 3038 did attempt to respond to this concern,  but in the process they created new problems. The Senate’s trigger is set at a 5 percent increase above fiscal year 2012. By setting the base year at 2012, they avoid the problem of a very low base caused by a recession. However, the “growth” year to year is not adjusted by inflation, and it is also cumulative over multiple years. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where that triggers a tax cut at a very bad time.

For example, revenues could rise by 1 percent in 2013 and then stay flat for the next 4 years. We already know many expenses will go up over that time due to inflation, rising health care costs, and increased caseloads and enrollment. To cover those expenses, we would be forced to make significant cuts to core services. Yet by the trigger’s definition, that would be enough “growth revenue” to force another tax cut.

If legislators could predict the future of our economy, they should be off making millions on Wall Street. But they cannot predict the future, and they cannot design a formula to fit every possible scenario. That’s why putting our tax system on auto-pilot is a risk we should not take.

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Today you should know that an Oklahoma County District Court has tossed out at a 2011 law that put restrictions on drugs used to induce abortions.  Lawmakers announced plans to reform the Department of Human Services, including asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment abolishing the DHS Commission.

The OK Policy Blog shows that even after accounting for the effects of poverty, middle class children are not getting all that they should from Oklahoma schools. Tulsa Public Schools are replacing the principals at two low-performing elementary schools and giving them the power to start from scratch in selecting faculty for next year.

Gov. Mary Fallin’s pick of Jim Roth to serve on the state Election Board will not get a hearing before the Senate Rules Committee, its chairman said Monday. A rift between Gov. Mary Fallin and the Grand River Dam Authority may lead to renewed efforts to give the governor more authority to replace members of state boards and commissions.

Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello is campaigning in Wisconsin this week for that state’s beleaguered governor, Scott Walker. Costello sponsored a resolution which was passed at Saturday’s state GOP convention to withhold money from candidates who take contributions from the Oklahoma Public Employees Association and the Oklahoma Education Association.

In The Edmond Sun, Dr. Mickey Hepner separates myths from facts in the tax debate. The Oklahoman writes that the legislature’s reluctance to approve bond issues is a failure to think ahead.

The Number of the Day is the percentage of Oklahoma’s construction firms that employ fewer than twenty employees. In today’s Policy Note, The American Prospect examines why same sex marriage keeps failing at the ballot box despite its rising popularity.

In The News

Oklahoma court overturns restrictions on abortion-inducing drug

An Oklahoma County District Court has tossed out at a 2011 law that put restrictions on drugs used to induce abortions. The court found that House Bill 1970 is “an unconstitutional law in violation of the fundamental rights of women to privacy and bodily integrity,” guaranteed by the Oklahoma Constitution, according to an order issued Friday. The Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice and Reproductive Services in Tulsa challenged the law. Gov. Mary Fallin signed the measure into law on May 11, 2011. It was put on hold pending the outcome of the lawsuit. The court found that the measure’s requirements were “so completely at odds with the standard that governs the practice of medicine that it can serve no purpose other than to prevent women from obtaining abortions and to punish and discriminate against those women who do.”

Read more from The Tulsa World.

Lawmakers announce reform plans for Department of Human Services

Responding to concerns about the alleged maltreatment of children in state care, lawmakers Monday announced plans to streamline the Department of Human Services, replace its nine-member commission with four citizen advisory panels and allow the governor to appoint the agency’s director. Some of the key changes to how the state’s largest agency is administered will be left up to voters. Among the measures lawmakers will consider is House Joint Resolution 1092, which asks voters in November to approve a constitutional amendment repealing the Commission for Public Welfare, which was approved by voters in 1936 to oversee DHS. The commission has nine members, each of whom is appointed to a nine-year term. The commission was set up that way to insulate it from political and outside influence, Nelson said. “What we’ve ended up with so many years later is an agency that is really not responsive when it needs to be,” he said. Longtime DHS Commissioner Richard DeVaughn criticized the proposal. “It was written into the constitution to have the commission so it wasn’t a direct political patronage job,” DeVaughn said. “Now here we want to go back to the old political patronage system so that every time you get a new governor, you’re going to get a new director.”

Read more from NewsOK.

Oklahoma’s middle-class children are falling behind

It’s no secret that Oklahoma lags behind other states in student achievement. In 2011, Oklahoma fourth graders’ reading scores ranked 40th among all states (plus Washington DC and Department of Defense schools). Among eighth graders, Oklahomans’ reading scores put us at 41st. Math scores were only slightly better, at 38th in the nation for both fourth and eighth graders. It’s not entirely fair to compare states in this way, since they can be dealing with very different student populations. Oklahoma is a high-poverty state, and a large number of our children face difficult challenges that come with poverty. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) does give us a way to remove this effect and see how similar groups of children are faring across states. When we separate these two groups of children, the results are surprising. Oklahoma is actually performing at or better than the national average for free/reduced lunch eligible children. Those students not eligible for free- or reduced-lunches do perform significantly better on these tests than low-income children. However, their ranking plummets compared to similar kids in other states. On fourth grade math and reading scores, they ranked 45th in the nation. By the eighth grade, math performance rose to 41st, while reading dropped to 46th.

Read more from the OK Policy Blog.

TPS proposes drastic changes for low-performing elementary schools

Tulsa Public Schools administrators are proposing swift and dramatic changes for the district’s two lowest-performing elementary schools as part of a renewed effort to reform McLain High School and its feeder pattern. Anderson and Burroughs elementary schools are getting new principals and if the school board approves, those new leaders would have the power to start from scratch in selecting a faculty for the 2012-13 academic year, said Deputy Superintendent Millard House. Those changes would be part of a plan to group all 16 of the Tulsa school sites recently identified by the Oklahoma State Department of Education as needing greater intervention in an “achievement zone.” The zone represents a non-geographical cluster of schools that are in need of corrective action under state and federal guidelines, but local officials have control over transitioning schools in and out of the zone based on their performance. Schools in the zone receive additional resources.

Read more from The Tulsa World.

Fallin’s pick for election board might not get hearing

Gov. Mary Fallin’s pick to serve on the state Election Board will not get a hearing before the Senate Rules Committee, its chairman said Monday. Fallin appointed Democrat Jim Roth to serve. But the appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. “Right now, I don’t feel he has the votes to get out of the Rules Committee,” said Sen. Rob Johnson, R-Kingfisher, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. “There is a lot of concern in our caucus over putting a former statewide elected officer on the election board where he will be in control in helping determine what candidates are and are not on the ballot, including his former opponents.” Roth was appointed to the Corporation Commission by former Gov. Brad Henry in 2007 to fulfill the unexpired term of Denise Bode, who resigned. Republican Dana Murphy defeated Roth, a Democrat, in his bid to be elected to the post in 2008. Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said that of the 11 candidates submitted by the Oklahoma Democratic Party, the governor felt that Roth was the most qualified to serve, given his record of public service. Roth said some people have suggested that he will not get a hearing because he is gay. “It sounds to me like Chairman Johnson has made up an excuse and is unwilling to admit that,” Roth said. Johnson denied the claim.

Read more from The Tulsa World.

GRDA vote to buy office irks Fallin

A rift between Gov. Mary Fallin and the Grand River Dam Authority may lead to renewed efforts to give governors more authority to replace members of state boards and commissions. Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said the governor is “working with legislators to provide more oversight” of boards, including the GRDA. Weintz said Fallin was “surprised and disappointed” by the state-owned utility’s decision last week to go through with plans to buy an office building in east Tulsa. He said Fallin, through a board member, had asked the GRDA to postpone a final vote “until (Fallin) and other interested stakeholders could be briefed on the purpose and details” of the purchase. GRDA officials say the 42,000-square-foot 16 Plaza Centre will house the GRDA’s emergency control room, its engineering department, and some maintenance and information technology personnel. CEO Dan Sullivan has said the building’s location will make recruiting and retaining engineers and technical personnel easier. He also has said buying the building is more cost-effective than building a new facility, as was initially planned, at the engineering and transmission center north of Pryor.

Read more from The Tulsa World.

Oklahoma Labor Commissioner campaigns for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello is campaigning in Wisconsin this week for that state’s beleaguered governor, Scott Walker. Walker, a Republican like Costello, is facing a June 5 recall election. Costello said he plans to stay in Wisconsin through Wednesday. “I am here as a private citizen, all on my own expense,” he said. “But I do think it’s a matter of public policy, if you believe as I do that the progressives have pushed it about as far as they can.” Walker’s recall was prompted by his efforts to curb public employees’ bargaining rights and agreements – something Costello applauds. As Oklahoma’s labor commissioner, Costello has fought public employee associations – state employees do not have collective-bargaining rights in Oklahoma – and sponsored a resolution at Saturday’s state GOP convention that would withhold money from candidates who take contributions from the Oklahoma Public Employees Association and the Oklahoma Education Association.

Read more from The Tulsa World.

Facts remain important in tax debate

In politics today, myths are often more powerful than facts. But in the real world, facts still hold sway. Myth: Economies in states without an income tax perform better than in other states Fact: There is no linkage between the performance of a state’s economy and its use of an income tax. Since 2000, the per-capita personal income growth rankings of states that lack a personal income tax are third, fourth, 11th, 25th, 31st, 32nd, 35th, 41st and 50th. In short, while some of these states have performed very well others have performed very poorly. And two-thirds of these states rank between 25th-50th among the 50 states.

Read more from The Edmond Sun.

Lawmakers unlikely to address plight of medical examiners’ office

Planning ahead has never been the Legislature’s strong suit. The medical examiner’s office was a problem in 2006 and for many years before that, but lawmakers had other priorities at the time, as they always seem to. It took the death of a motorist traveling on Interstate 35 to get lawmakers to finally realize that, yes, our roads and bridges were awful, just as national studies had been saying for years. Until that woman was killed in 2004 by a chunk of concrete that fell from a bridge and smashed through her windshield, the Legislature was content to fund the Department of Transportation at the same level it had for the previous 20 years. A longtime topic of conversation at the Capitol has been fixing all that ails the building — from the heating/air conditioning to the plumbing to the balky elevators. Only when some exterior pieces started chipping away did any sense of urgency accompany those conversations. Now lawmakers are actually considering using a bond issue to overhaul the place.

Read more from NewsOK.

Quote of the Day

When we brag about Oklahoma to our out-of-state friends and family, what do we say? I don’t know about you, but it’s not the tax system I rave about — it’s the people, the cities and the atmosphere. Let’s not forget that enhancing our quality of life is what our focus should be.
-UCO Business Dean Mickey Hepner, writing in The Edmond Sun

Number of the Day

91 percent

Percentage of Oklahoma’s construction firms that employ fewer than twenty employees, 2009

Source: Associated General Contractors

See previous Numbers of the Day here.

Policy Note

If same-sex marriage is so popular, why does it always lose at the ballot box?

Since all 31 states that have voted on constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage (SSM) have passed them, typically by overwhelming popular votes, should we be skeptical that half of Americans really support same-sex marriage? Probably not. Most bans passed when opposition to SSM was much stronger, and SSM opponents have targeted constitutional amendments for votes in states where support for SSM is weakest. Opposition to SSM was quite strong and reasonably stable until 2004. Since 2004, the rise in support has been remarkable. My estimate is 16 percentage points. Nate Silver estimates perhaps two or three percentage points a year and, according to a leaked memo, Republican pollster Jan van Lohuizen finds support rising one point a year until 2009 and 5 points a year since. Seventeen states passed constitutional amendments by the end of 2004, and 27 did so by 2006. Even in 2008, when next three states passed amendments, support for SSM nationally was probably 8+ percentage points lower than it is today.

Read more from The American Prospect.

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National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2011

It’s no secret that Oklahoma lags behind other states in student achievement. In 2011, Oklahoma fourth graders’ reading scores ranked 40th among all states (plus Washington DC and Department of Defense schools). Among eighth graders, Oklahomans’ reading scores put us at 41st. Math scores were only slightly better, at 38th in the nation for both fourth and eighth graders.

It’s not entirely fair to compare states in this way, since they can be dealing with very different student populations. Oklahoma is a high-poverty state, and a large number of our children face difficult challenges that come with poverty: a less stable home environment, parents who may not have the time or ability to read to their kids, fewer successful role models, inadequate nutrition, and more. Variation in child poverty rates can explain more than 40 percent of the variation in average reading and math scores across states.

Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) does give us a way to remove this effect and see how similar groups of children are faring across states. Scores on this national test can be sorted into children eligible for the free- or reduced-lunch program and those who are not eligible. This program is available only to families with incomes at or below 185% of the poverty line.

When we separate these two groups of children, the results are surprising. Oklahoma is actually performing at or better than the national average for free/reduced lunch eligible children. Our 2011 rankings on 4th and 8th Grade Math and Reading tests ranged from 20th to 25th.

Those students not eligible for free- or reduced-lunches do perform significantly better on these tests than low-income children. However, their ranking plummets compared to similar kids in other states. On fourth grade math and reading scores, they ranked 45th in the nation. By the eighth grade, math performance rose to 41st, while reading dropped to 46th.

This divide has existed for at least the last decade. To use fourth grade reading scores as an example, free/reduced lunch eligible Oklahomans have consistently performed slightly better than the national average for similar students, while those not eligible have performed below the national average.

Because poverty is so high in Oklahoma and has such a large effect on school performance, reducing poverty remains the best thing we can do to improve our overall test scores. However, Oklahoma seems to be doing as well as the nation as a whole in teaching these kids.

It’s the middle class children who are not getting all that they should from Oklahoma schools. If we continue to increase class sizes and eliminate advanced electives that help good students to excel, that’s unlikely to change.

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Today you should know that a Chesapeake stockholder is pushing a measure to reincorporate the company in Delaware in order to get around an Oklahoma law that prevents annual elections of the entire board. The law requiring staggered terms was passed last year in Oklahoma at the urging of Chesapeake. Another investor is calling on the Chesapeake board to fire CEO Aubrey McClendon. Chesapeake took out a $3 billion dollar loan to buy time until it can find a buyer for assets it’s trying to auction.

Republican legislators from Enid say they do not believe tax cuts will happen this year. The Tulsa World writes that there are many reasons why it’s the wrong time for tax cuts. SoonerPoll finds that Oklahomans do not support a tax cut that would mean less money for social programs, roads and bridges, and education. Soonerpoll’s findings are similar to an earlier poll released by the Oklahoma Advocacy Project.

The Tulsa World reports that declining revenues for education are primarily the result of a shrinking overall state budget. Educators spoke with the World about the consequences of more budget cuts. Among the programs at risk is the Webster High School band.

A new headquarters for the state medical examiner’s office, which was approved by lawmakers and signed into law two years ago, is in jeopardy due to lack of funding. Federal officials are threatening Oklahoma with a loss of millions of dollars if the state continues to make public the histories of children killed or nearly killed by child abuse or neglect. Corrections officials are facing a lawsuit for letting incarcerated mothers decide who will care for the babies born in prison.

Advocates for expanded gun rights in Oklahoma are claiming success in the 2012 legislative session, and a lawmaker said the ultimate goal is to allow anyone to publicly carry a firearm without a license. The Sierra Club argued in court that a delay — sought by Oklahoma’s attorney general and a utility — of a plan to cut air pollution would cause premature deaths and increased heart attacks for Oklahomans.

The Number of the Day is the proportion of Oklahoma families that claim the Earned Income Tax Credit on their state returns. In today’s Policy Note, Atlantic Cities examines what House Republicans’ attempt to kill the American Community Survey would actually mean.

In The News

Chesapeake pushed to reincorporate in Delaware

One of the earliest critics of Chesapeake Energy Corp is a 70-year-old Denver investor with no patience for e-mail. Armed instead with just a telephone and a fax machine, Gerald Armstrong pushed for corporate governance changes at the Oklahoma energy company long before the recent attention on the oversight of its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Aubrey McClendon. In 2008 and 2009, Armstrong convinced a majority of Chesapeake shareholders to back proposals for annual elections of directors, something he said would make them more accountable. After those votes, Oklahoma adopted a law that effectively undermined his victories. Now, Armstrong is at it again, asking company stockholders to approve in June a measure to reincorporate Chesapeake in Delaware, which would render the Oklahoma law irrelevant.

Read more from Reuters.

Previously: Oklahoma board rule benefits Chesapeake from The Wall Street Journal.

Investor calls on Chesapeake board to fire CEO McClendon

A leading fund manager called on the board of Chesapeake Energy to fire its chief executive on Monday after it revelations that he had taken $1.1 billion in personal loans against his stakes in the energy company. In an open letter to the board of directors, Pedro de Noronha, managing partner and portfolio manager at Noster Capital, said Aubrey McClendon should be fired with immediate effect and that other CEOs would have been removed for “far lesser infraction[s]”. The pay package received by McClendon over the last five years—amounting to $303.6 million—made him the second highest paid CEO in the U.S. during a period in which the energy company’s share price had fallen 23 percent de Noronha said.

Read more from CNBC.

Chesapeake takes out $3 billion loan

Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK)’s $3 billion lifeline from New York banks increases the pressure on Chief Executive Officer Aubrey McClendon to sell Texas oilfields and find deep-pocketed drilling partners. Chesapeake, the worst-performing U.S. oil and natural-gas stock this year, can’t afford to delay $14 billion in asset sales that it warned investors may hurt its ability to comply with earlier loan agreements. The company is trying to cope with a cash crunch caused by low natural-gas prices. Chesapeake told investors on May 11 that it may be forced to postpone oilfield sales and joint-venture agreements to conserve cash flow needed to comply with bank covenants. Within hours, the company announced a $3 billion short-term loan from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Jefferies Group Inc. (JEF) to tide it over until it can find buyers for assets it’s trying to auction.

Read more from Bloomberg.

Enid legislators say tax cuts unlikely

As the Legislative session starts the final two weeks before constitutional adjournment, Enid-area legislators say don’t expect those tax cuts. State Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, said tax cuts probably are dead in his half of the Legislature. The tax cuts originally were to be paid for through elimination of tax credits. Dumping those tax credits did not occur, and the Senate is concerned about the price of natural gas and its impact on the budget. “I think the state senate has become very concerned about the state budget with reference to natural gas prices,” Anderson said. “They are down to about $2, and at the beginning of the session, when we were told how much money we would have, the price was about $3.63. “That’s about $100 million less in state revenue than anticipated. That’s a big problem.”

Read more from the Enid News and Eagle.

See also: Tax cuts can wait from The Tulsa World

Income tax cut support ‘depends’

Whether Oklahomans want a state income tax cut depends, it appears, on how they are asked. When SoonerPoll.com asked 504 likely voters last week whether they would support such a cut, 61 percent said yes. That support faded quickly, however, when the question was changed to whether they would support a cut if it “meant less money” for social programs, roads and bridges and education. Of the 305 who said they’d support an income tax cut, 58 percent changed their answer when less money for “state-funded Medicaid and similar programs” was added to the question. Sixty-four percent changed their minds if a tax cut meant less money for “roads and bridges,” and 67 percent backed off if the cut impacted education.

Read more from The Tulsa World.

Previously: New poll shows Oklahomans oppose income tax proposals from the OK Policy Blog

Education funding cut from smaller pie

Oklahoma’s Department of Education has the same problem as other state agencies, according to an analyst: The state budget is smaller than it used to be. “What we’re seeing is the overall pie is shrinking,” said Gene Perry, a policy analyst at the Oklahoma Policy Institute. “So every agency is facing the cost of that, including education.” The Department of Education received $253.5 million less in state appropriations in fiscal year 2012 than in its most recent funding peak of fiscal year 2009, Oklahoma Office of State Finance data show. The 10 percent drop in department appropriations occurred while inflation rose nearly 3 percent in southern urban areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although total dollars have declined, the percentage of funds that the education department receives from the state budget has remained relatively constant over the past decade – ranging from 35 to 38 percent of total appropriations, data show.

Read more from The Tulsa World.

Educators fear consequences of more budget cuts

Less than one year after finding a new school home, Brian Banfield is seeing his professional future go into limbo because of the budget cuts affecting public schools across Oklahoma. Banfield’s previous school closed as part of a 2011 district consolidation effort. Now, evaporating federal funds will force Tulsa’s Eliot Elementary to do without this young science teacher. “We have some budding scientists here because the science teacher before me was excellent. It’s such a shame because you form these bonds with the kids, parents and faculty, and then you have to leave that,” he said. A Tulsa World analysis of data from the Office of State Finance shows a staggering string of lower state aid allocations for public schools since revenue collections plummeted in 2009 – $300 million less in 2010, $295.7 million less in 2011 and $253.5 million less in 2012. In Tulsa-area schools this year, that meant $237 to $387 – or 13 to 20 percent – less in state aid for every child compared to three years ago.

Read more from The Tulsa World.

See also: Budget cuts endangering Tulsa school’s band program from The Tulsa World

Funding for Oklahoma medical examiners’ office is at risk

A new headquarters for the state medical examiner’s office in Edmond — a concept approved by lawmakers and signed into law two years ago — is in jeopardy. Sen. Clark Jolley, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the project has come “under a petty political attack” instead of truly questioning its validity. Budget negotiators still are debating whether to appropriate extra money to the medical examiner’s office to pay the debt service payments for the $42 million project, which consists of constructing and equipping a building on the University of Central Oklahoma campus. The legislatively appropriated budget of about $6.6 billion has to be finalized in two weeks; an agreement is expected this week. Complicating matters is a request for an attorney general’s opinion on the process being used to pay for the building. Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, wants an opinion on whether it is legal to include the medical examiner building in a program used by colleges and universities to pay for various projects.

Read more from NewsOK.

Oklahoma threatened with loss of federal funding over release of child abuse histories

Federal officials are threatening Oklahoma with a loss of millions of dollars if the state continues to make public the histories of children killed or nearly killed by child abuse or neglect. Complying would mean Oklahomans would no longer have access to the types of reports that in the past have revealed massive failures in Oklahoma’s child welfare system that contributed to deaths of children like Kelsey Smith-Briggs and Serenity Deal. However, ignoring the demand would place Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services at risk of losing more than $50 million in federal funds, officials say. State and national child welfare reformers are incensed — calling the threat “irresponsible” and “unfathomable.”

Read more from NewsOK.

Lawsuit filed over letting mothers decide who will care for babies born in prison

More than 200 babies have been born to women in Oklahoma prisons in the last six years, and prison officials are facing a lawsuit for letting incarcerated mothers decide who will care for the babies. The ongoing federal lawsuit centers on the murder of a 3-year-old girl who was known as “Precious Doe” until her body was identified. The lawsuit contends the Oklahoma Corrections Department should contact the Oklahoma Department of Human Services whenever pregnant inmates give birth. Corrections officials are fighting the lawsuit. “We don’t have any control or authority of the child because they’re not in our custody,” spokesman Jerry Massie said. The girl’s father complains she would still be alive if prison officials had just notified DHS after she was born.

Read more from NewsOK.

Gun advocates claim victory in legislature

Advocates for expanded gun rights in Oklahoma are claiming success in the 2012 legislative session after the passage of several pro-gun measures, including one that allows permit holders to openly carry firearms. Gov. Mary Fallin already has signed a bill allowing gun owners from other states to carry concealed weapons in Oklahoma, and another bill approved by the Legislature and sent to Fallin would prohibit the governor or any other state or local official from confiscating or banning firearms during a state of emergency. Democratic Gov. Brad Henry vetoed an open-carry bill two years ago amid opposition from law enforcement, but even after Fallin was elected, a similar bill was derailed in a House committee last year after some Republicans expressed concern it could send a negative message to out-of-state businesses looking to locate here. The most ardent gun rights supporters, like Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, maintain the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees any law-abiding adult should be able to publicly carry their weapon. Spencer said so-called “constitutional carry,” which doesn’t require a license, is the group’s ultimate goal.

Read more from the Enid News and Eagle.

Sierra Club, EPA seek to deny Oklahoma AG’s delay of pollution rule

An environmental group claims a delay — sought by Oklahoma’s attorney general and a utility — of a plan to cut air pollution would cause premature deaths and increased heart attacks for Oklahomans. The Sierra Club joined the Environmental Protection Agency in asking an appeals court to deny requests by Attorney General Scott Pruitt and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. to block the plan. Pruitt and the utility want the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to grant a stay on the pollution-reduction requirement, known as a “final rule,” that the EPA imposed in December. The requirement affects three power plants. Two are operated near Pawnee and Muskogee by OG&E, and one is operated near Oologah by American Electric Power-Public Service Co. of Oklahoma. Pruitt and OG&E asked the court in April to delay the requirement until the judges decide whether to overturn it, as requested by the attorney general and utility. Judges are not expected to decide until late this year or early next year whether to overturn the requirement.

Read more from NewsOK.

Quote of the Day

I would counter this statement with a reminder that DHS would have never been sued if things were just fine, our prisons would not have staffing ratios of 1 officer for every 160 inmates, we would not have 6th grade classrooms with 39 students and our Medical Examiners office would be back on track for accreditation.

-Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, responding to House Speaker Kris Steele’s remark that previous tax cuts have not harmed core government services

Number of the Day

1 in 4

Proportion of Oklahoma families that claim the Earned Income Tax Credit on their state returns, 2009

Source: Oklahoma Policy Institute

See previous Numbers of the Day here.

Policy Note

What killing the American Community Survey would actually mean

So the Republican-led House of Representatives this week voted 232-190 to eliminate the American Community Survey, the annual survey of about 3 million randomly chosen U.S. households that’s like the Census only much more detailed. It collects demographic details such as what sort of fuel a household uses for heating, the cost of rent or mortgage payments, and what time residents leave home to go to work. While the elimination of the ACS would take a slight nibble out of the roughly $3.8 trillion in government expenditures proposed in the 2013 federal budget, its negative impacts could be much greater. William Frey, a demographer at Brookings, says the elimination of the information collected by the ACS would be like steering blind. “Here we would be, the most developed country in the world, the richest country in the world with absolutely no information to make decisions,” Frey says. If there were no collection of such detailed information on the characteristics of neighborhoods and communities, Frey says it would be much more difficult to allocate the money needed to site and open schools, hospitals, police and fire stations, and many other services and amenities. “We’re still going to have to make decisions about those different institutions, but we would make them with very little information, which means that a lot of money would be wasted,” says Frey.

Read more from Atlantic Cities.

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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk is dedicated to this week’s events, publications, and blog posts.

This week OK Policy produced a video on the impact of eliminating tax credits for working families with children.  A new poll showed large majorities of Oklahoma voters oppose income tax cuts if it means less funding for schools, roads, and public safety and they believe cutting the income tax will lead to higher sales and property taxes.

Guest blogger Mike Connelly raised the questions we should be asking about criminal justice reform.  The OKDHS Policy & Practice Lecture series will host a lecture on the well being of low-income senior citizens.  Our round-up of tax reform quotes from the state’s business and economic leaders was covered in the Oklahoman.  OK Policy analyst Kate Richey was interviewed by NewsOn6 about a bill to repeal minimum coverage requirements for health insurance plans.  We previously blogged about SB 1059 here, a bill currently in conference committee that would limit access to immunizations, cancer screenings, and more.

The State Chamber’s tax policy forum, co-hosted by OK Policy, was covered by The Oklahoman, The Edmond Sun, This Land, and CapitolBeatOK.  Click here to watch a video of the tax forum, featuring Dean of the UCO Business College Mickey Hepner and trickle-down economics proponent Arthur Laffer. Our work was cited in a Tulsa World article on job-training and the working poor.  Director David Blatt wrote in The Journal Record about Oklahoma’s underfunded public education system.

In the Know, Policy Notes

• The New York Times examined the questionable practice of medical debt collectors posing as hospital employees confronting patients in the ER and in recovery rooms after surgery.
• The Pew Economic Mobility Project finds that Oklahoma is one of the worst states in the nation for individuals seeking to climb the economic ladder.
• The Pew Center on the States calculated the full cost of incarceration for taxpayers in each state – including employee benefits, capital costs, and education and medical services for inmates.
• Economist Nancy Folbre discusses why we need economic incentives that discourage not just sloth and fear, but also cruelty and greed.
• The Baseline Scenario explains why Social Security is still hugely important for Americans’ retirement.

Numbers of the Day

• 37.2 – The median age in the state of Oklahoma, 2010
• 70 percent – Percentage of Oklahomans who said an “educated and well trained workforce” is the best way to attract businesses to locate and invest in Oklahoma, compared to just 21 percent who said “low personal income tax rates”
• 34.6 percent – Percentage of employees in Oklahoma who say their workplace is hiring new people and expanding the size of their workforce, 3rd highest in the U.S.
• 43^rd – Oklahoma’s national rank for per capita state spending on mental health; we spent less than half the national average in FY 2009
• 56 percent – Percentage of college students in Oklahoma who graduate with outstanding student loan debt, 2010

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In The Know is a daily synopsis of Oklahoma policy-related news and blogs. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. E-mail your suggestions for In The Know items to gperry@okpolicy.org. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.

The Legislature passed a bill to allow residents with a concealed carry permit to also openly carry their guns in a holster.  Gov. Fallin urged lawmakers to agree to a significant tax cut.  Parents and educators in Norman are worried that a tax cut will raise class sizes, already in the mid-to high 30s, even higher.  OU President David Boren urged a conservative approach on tax cuts and advised lawmakers to “fix education first.”

An employment report found that the ten best jobs in Oklahoma require a high level of education.  Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele said this session’s criminal justice reforms are merely the first step in a series of needed policy changes.  Persistent poverty in rural Oklahoma means long lines for food aid.  A bill requiring some welfare recipients to pass a drug test passed the Legislature.

The OKDHS Policy & Practice Lecture series will host a lecture on the well being of low-income senior citizens.  The Number of the Day is the median age in the state of Oklahoma.  In today’s Policy Note, the New York Times examined the questionable practice of medical debt collectors posing as hospital employees confronting patients in the ER and in recovery rooms after surgery.

In The News

Open-carry firearms bill awaits Gov. Fallins approval

Oklahomans soon could be allowed to openly carry holstered firearms under a bill that passed the Senate on Thursday and is heading to Gov. Mary Fallin’s desk.  The Senate voted 33-10 for legislation that would allow residents who apply for a concealed carry permit to also openly carry their guns in a holster. Fallin generally withholds comment on legislation until her staff has had time to review it, but she has previously indicated she supports a “responsible” open-carry bill.

Read more from KRMG at http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/Open-carry-bill-awaits/nN2df/

Governor urges Oklahoma lawmakers to cut state’s personal income tax rate

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said she would like lawmakers to agree to a significant tax cut, saying Kansas legislators have passed a measure that would put that state’s top personal income tax rate below Oklahoma’s.  Now is not the time for the Republican-controlled Legislature to wilt in coming up with a significant cut in Oklahoma’s personal income tax rate, Gov. Mary Fallin said Thursday.  “Our members in the House and Senate — those who have gone out for years and talked about reducing our income taxes — need to not only talk the talk but walk the walk,” Fallin said. “This is the year.”

Read more from NewsOK at http://newsok.com/governor-urges-oklahoma-lawmakers-to-cut-states-personal-income-tax-rate/article/3674367#ixzz1uZ0VJ9yW

Tax cut bodes ill for area schools

As the state Legislature works on a plan for Oklahoma’s income tax, educators and parents in Norman and across the state have expressed growing concern about the devastating effects the bill will have on the state’s educational institutions.  An immediate result of this trend is larger class sizes and greater strain on the district and state middle and high school teachers, impeding the educators’ abilities to provide students with quality education, educators have said.  Currently class size in Norman schools are in the mid-to high 30s.

Read more from the Norman Transcript at http://normantranscript.com/headlines/x610438327/Tax-cut-bodes-ill-for-area-schools

OU President David Boren says Oklahoma lawmakers need to think ahead

Crucial decisions will be made at the state Capitol in the next few days. They will affect our state for years to come. They should be made conservatively, carefully and prudently.  To secure our future, we must invest in the next generation. Gov. Mary Fallin has set a public goal of achieving more economic growth through investment in education. It’s important to do just that. A recent survey of top business leaders conducted by the state Department of Commerce ranked excellence in education, including increasing the number of college and university graduates, as the single most important step to increase economic growth and create more jobs. Chambers of commerce and business leaders are saying we should fix education first, then see what changes should be made in the income tax.

Read more from NewsOK at http://newsok.com/ou-president-david-boren-says-oklahoma-lawmakers-need-to-think-ahead/article/3674273#ixzz1uZ1VptoD

Report: Petroleum engineering top job in Oklahoma

Due to increased hiring in the state’s energy sector, petroleum engineers rank as Oklahoma’s best job. Not only are jobs plentiful, but working conditions are ideal and the pay is great, according to a 2012 report from CareerCast.com.  Nationwide, the Jobs Rated Report looks at 200 jobs – from accountant to zoologist – ranking each profession based on factual analysis and data. It lists the top 10 best and worst jobs in Oklahoma.  The common factor among Oklahoma’s 10 best jobs is that they all have a high level of education.

Read more from the Tulsa World at http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=46&articleid=20120511_46_E1_Duetoi686694

More changes are needed to control prison growth, Oklahoma legislative leader says

Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele led efforts this year to get legislation passed that requires supervision of all felons leaving prison and a grant program for local law enforcement agencies.  House Speaker Kris Steele, who led a three-year effort to pass legislation intended to control prison growth and change how Oklahoma handles prison matters, challenged lawmakers Thursday to continue similar efforts to reduce the state’s nation-leading incarceration rates.  “The tide has truly turned,” said Steele, who couldn’t seek re-election this year because of 12-year legislative term limits.

Read more from NewsOK at http://newsok.com/more-changes-are-needed-to-control-prison-growth-oklahoma-legislative-leader-says/article/3674339#ixzz1uZ2LKVWW

Poverty and Hunger are High in Rural Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation and the state’s tax coffers are relatively full.  But cupboards in rural parts of the state are increasingly bare.  KOSU’s Ben Allen reports on long lines for charity food deliveries in small-town Oklahoma:  They reach beyond the senior center, past the pharmacy, to the next corner, and the next, and the next. An older lady, Melba, was towards the front of the line. A line she never thought she would need.  “No, not when we was younger, I didn’t. But when you get older, it’s a lot different.”

Read more from StateImpactOK at http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2012/05/10/poverty-and-hunger-are-high-in-rural-oklahoma/

Welfare Recipient Drug Test Bill On Governor’s Desk

A bill that would require some welfare recipients pass a drug test as a condition of eligibility has reached the desk of Governor Mary Fallin.  The state House of Representatives voted 86-to-6 in approval of House Bill 2388, which would allow the Department of Human Resources to drug screen adults who apply for the Temporary Assistance of Needy Families program if there is reasonable cause to believe the person applying may be using drugs.  If the applicant refused to take the drug test or is determined to be using an illegal drug, they would be denied benefits. Applicants who undergo a substance abuse treatment program would be allowed to re-apply after six months.

Read more from KTUL at http://www.ktul.com/story/18253766/welfare-recipient-drug-test-bill-on-governors-desk

Upcoming Event: The Senior Safety Net in Jeopardy, OKDHS Policy & Practice Lectures

The recession has had a devastating impact on the economic well-being of low income senior citizens, particularly people of color.  The ongoing debate over the future of Social Security and Medicare leaves seniors living near the poverty line with an uncertain future.  The OKDHS Policy and Practice Lecture Series will host Karyne Jones, President and CEO of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, to discuss the growing economic threats faced by low income elderly African Americans.

Read more from the OK Policy Blog at http://okpolicy.org/blog/events/upcoming-event-the-senior-safety-net-in-jeopardy-okdhs-policy-practice-lectures/

Quote of the Day

Our community must continue to communicate to legislators that a budget which is 4 to 5 years behind the demand is unacceptable — the words of parents and taxpayers carry the most significant weight in situations like this.

Dr. Joe Siano, Norman schools’ superintendent

Number of the Day

37.2

The median age in the state of Oklahoma, 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

See previous Numbers of the Day here.

Policy Note

Debt Collector Is Faulted for Tough Tactics in Hospitals

This and other aggressive tactics by one of the nation’s largest collectors of medical debts, Accretive Health, were revealed on Tuesday by the Minnesota attorney general, raising concerns that such practices have become common at hospitals across the country.  The tactics, like embedding debt collectors as employees in emergency rooms and demanding that patients pay before receiving treatment, were outlined in hundreds of company documents released by the attorney general. And they cast a spotlight on the increasingly desperate strategies among hospitals to recoup payments as their unpaid debts mount.

Read more from the New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/25/business/debt-collector-is-faulted-for-tough-tactics-in-hospitals.html?_r=2&ref=business

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THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012, NOON TO 1 P.M.

OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER

800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105

The National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Inc., (NCBA) is the only national organization solely devoted to making minority aging services a national priority. Jones leads NCBA in its efforts to deliver fair and affordable housing, employment services, and healthcare intervention programs for low-income African Americans and other minority seniors.  All lectures are free and open to the public. OKDHS staff can receive training credit for this event. CEUs are available for social workers. For more information contact the Office of Planning, Research and Statistics at 405-521-3552.  View the complete lecture series lineup at: Practice and Policy Lecture Series website (Link opens in new window).

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