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. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.

Today you should know that with just two weeks left in the legislative session, Republican House Speaker T.W. Shannon said he will introduce a measure to repeal common core standards in Oklahoma school districts. The Legislature approved a bill to ban prescription refills of the painkiller hydrocodone. A Senate panel approved a measure to fund the American Indian Cultural Center and a pop culture museum in Tulsa with money taken off the top of sales tax and use tax revenues.

After 18 months of growth, Oklahoma City’s sales tax receipts have dropped two months in a row compared to the previous year. Senate Minority Leader Sean Burrage wrote in the Pryor Daily Times that the income tax cut signed by Governor Fallin will do almost nothing for 80 percent of Oklahomans. M. Scott Carter writes that by combining the tax cut and state Capitol repairs into one bill, lawmakers are thumbing their nose at the state’s constitutional ban on logrolling.

NewsOK writes that Oklahoma corrections officers are hoping for a cool August, since they are unprepared to safely deal with prison riots in the heat. The OK Policy Blog shared a 3-minute video that sheds light on America’s racial wealth gap. This Land Press has an in-depth story on the struggle of descendants of black slaves held by Cherokees to keep their citizenship in the Cherokee Nation.

The Number of the Day is the average annual wage in Oklahoma, 42nd lowest in the U.S. in 2012. In today’s Policy Note, the Washington Post reports on the Obama administration’s new draft of regulations for fracking on federal and Indian lands.

continue reading In The Know: House Speaker introducing bill to repeal common core standards

The racial wealth gap has been a hot topic lately on our blog.  The United States remains one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet escaping poverty and achieving prosperity remains out of reach for millions of Americans.  Too many people of color, striving to make a better life for themselves and their families, face significant barriers to building wealth and less access to opportunities that are widely available for Whites.

This 3-minute video from the Urban Institute sheds more light on the issue with a simple, compelling illustration.  This animation is based on research by Eugene Steuerle, Signe-Mary McKernan, Caroline Ratcliffe, and Sisi Zhang of the Urban Institute.

Click here to read OK Policy’s paper, ‘Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building Equity in Oklahoma.‘

Watch This Too:

• The New Jim Crow
• The Line
• Just the Facts
• Illegal

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. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.

Today you should know that Oklahoma’s statewide average gas price surged above the national average for the first time in more than 5 years. The Cherokee Nation has approved plans to team up with four other tribes to develop a 90-turbine wind farm in Kay County. The OK Policy Blog discussed a consultant’s report on developing an Oklahoma plan for expanding health coverage, which appears to be moving Oklahoma along a path to accept federal dollars.

Kaiser Health News reports on a new Oklahoma law that could force doctors to perform painful, costly, and often futile medical interventions on disabled, elderly, or terminally ill patients if they have any chance of extending life. David Blatt’s Journal Record column explains why the Legislature’s refusal to approve any new bonds is financially irresponsible. NewsOK urged caution about using short term revenue trends to make verdicts on the effect of tax cuts.

The Tulsa World writes that funding for an Oklahoma popular culture museum is important for its economic benefits and to preserve Oklahoma history. KJRH reports that despite a recently approved bond issue for Tulsa Public Schools, education funding is still a problem in Oklahoma. The Number of the Day is the number of Oklahomans, one-third of whom have incomes below the poverty level, who will lose their state-sponsored health coverage if Oklahoma continues to refuse to comply with the Affordable Care Act. In today’s Policy Note, the Atlantic shares two maps that explode one of the biggest myths about student loans.

continue reading In The Know: Oklahoma gas price surges above national average

Last week saw important developments in the  debate over expanding  health coverage for uninsured low-income Oklahomans. While it now seems certain that Oklahoma will not expand coverage at the start of 2014, the state finally appears to be moving along a path to accept federal dollars for expanding coverage in future years.

In November, Governor Mary Fallin announced that Oklahoma would reject federal funds under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expand Medicaid coverage for uninsured low-income adults, even though the federal government would assume 100 percent of the cost of this population for three years and 90 percent from 2020 onwards. This decision risks leaving well over 100,000 of the poorest and unhealthiest Oklahomans without health insurance options, stuck in a ‘coverage crater’, because they earn too little to qualify for federal tax credits to purchase coverage on new health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges. Oklahoma would be leaving over $8 billion in federal Medicaid dollars on the table over the next decade, while saddling hospitals and other health care providers with mounting uncompensated care costs.

continue reading Leavitt or Leave It: Consultant’s report suggests path for expanding health insurance coverage

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. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.

Today you should know that the state’s $7.1 billion budget bill cleared the Senatate and is on its way to Gov. Fallin. The OK Policy Blog previously shared what you need to know about the state budget agreement. State revenue in April topped projections, bringing collections to about 1 percent above this time last year.

A proposed Oklahoma pop culture museum is getting more support and donations from entertainment industry stars, but it still waits for a bond issue from the Legislature. The OK Policy Blog discussed social impact bonds, a promising new approach that Oklahoma could use to fund smart on crime reforms. Voters in the Tulsa Public Schools district approved a $38 million bond issue that will provide every teacher with modern instructional technology and students with up-to-date computers. Public schools across the state would be able to “opt out” of many state mandates under a bill approved by the Oklahoma House. 

Civilians working for the U.S. Defense Department — including about 24,000 in Oklahoma — will be furloughed for 11 days beginning July 8. Multiple Oklahomans have been arrested after chaining themselves to equipment to block construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline through the state. Under threat of a lawsuit, a Muldrow high school removed 10 Commandments plaques from its classrooms. A map of hate speech on Twitter finds that it dramatically exceeds the national average in tweets coming out of Elk City and along the Oklahoma-Texas border.

The Number of the Day is the projected GDP growth over 10 years if the U.S. granted resident immigrants legal status and a pathway to citizenship. In today’s Policy Note, Wonkblog discusses new Congressional Budget Office projections that the U.S. deficit problem is solved for the next 10 years.

continue reading In The Know: Senate approves $7.1 billion budget bill

John Pearson is a retired executive in the worldwide logistics industry. He is chairman of the Oklahoma Partnership  for Successful Reentry, a statewide coalition of organizations working to help ex-felons reintegrate into society.

Social Impact bonds (SIB) are a promising new approach to government financing of social programs or social “interventions.”  By combining performance-based payments and market discipline, the approach has the potential to improve results, overcome barriers to social innovation, and encourage investment in cost-saving preventive services.  In Oklahoma, SIB’s could provide a funding source to provide assistance to the eight thousand plus individuals released annually by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to transition from incarceration to becoming a successful employed neighbor.

continue reading Social impact bonds could fund smart on crime reforms (Guest Post: John Pearson)

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. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.

Today you should know that Gov. Fallin signed into law both an income tax cut and a fee hike on new or renewing driver’s licenses. Oklahoma City attorney Jerry Fent said he will sue to stop the tax cut law, because pairing it with funding Capitol repairs in the same bill is unconstitutional “log rolling.” The OK Policy Blog finds silver linings in the tax cut debate. 

A Democratic legislator plans to push for a statewide vote to require the Legislature to conduct “zero-based” budgeting on state agencies every four years. Some state legislators want the Education Department to end its contract with the CTB/McGraw-Hill and proceed with litigation because of testing glitches, but Superintendent Janet Barresi’s  chief of staff said they may only pursue a 10-percent penalty against the company, which could be paid with curriculum materials instead of cash.

House Speaker TW Shannon will appear at fundraisers for the Republican National Committee with former Vice President Dick Cheney. The Number of the Day is how many payday loans the average borrower takes out over 12 months. In today’s Policy Note, Pro Publica investigates unethical business practices at World Finance, which sells high-interest installment loans in Oklahoma and other states.

continue reading In The Know: Governor signs tax cut, driver’s license fee hike

Note: A version of this post appeared in the Journal Record

After two years of effort, Governor Fallin and legislative leaders finally succeeded in cutting Oklahoma’s top income tax rate. For those who have been actively opposing tax cuts as an unaffordable drain on our resources for schools and other vital services, the outcome, while certainly a disappointment, contains several silver linings.

First, compared to last year’s proposal to slash the income tax immediately and then phase it out entirely, the tax cut passed in HB 2032 is relatively modest. It lowers the top rate by one-quarter percent, but not until 2015, with a further cut of two-tenths of one percent in 2016 if revenues grow.  By deferring the tax cut, legislators recognized the need to prioritize increased education and other core services that have been hammered by years of budget cuts and flat funding. Still, the bill’s $253 million fiscal impact, when fully implemented, will significantly hamper the state’s ability to keep up with the rising cost of public services. 

continue reading Silver linings tax cuts

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. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.

Today you should know that Oklahoma saw a $194 million increase in fees this year, which outpaces the cost of the cut to the state’s top income tax rate set for 2015. More than three-fourths of the increase was due to a hospital provider fee approved by the Legislature in 2011. The Tulsa World writes that a hike in drivers’ license fees is one of many fee increases to come if Oklahoma continues to slash the income tax. Prison workers across Oklahoma who were denied a raise in a $7.1 billion budget deal say they feel trapped in a political crossfire between the governor and the state’s prison director.

The Purcell city council called on Gov. Mary Fallin and other elected state officials to set politics aside and accept federal dollars for the good of rural health care. The Tulsa World writes that Gov. Fallin’s refusal to work with the federal government for a solution on health care is a disservice to Oklahomans. The most common reason for Norman elementary school students to visit their nurse or health assistant last year was hunger. The public high school in Muldrow is being threatened by a lawsuit if postings of the Ten Commandments aren’t removed from the walls.

The mayors of Wichita, Oklahoma City and Kansas City, Mo. signed a letter of support for expanded passenger rail service between Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. The Kansas Department of Transportation will contribute $3 million to pursue federal funding for the project, contingent on Oklahoma providing $2.3 million. 

Oklahoma House Democrats say an improper vote was cast for a $7.1 billion budget bill on behalf of a Republican legislator who had left the building. A legislative plan to remodel office space in the state Capitol could interfere with overall plans to fix the aging building’s plumbing, structural and electrical problems. Gov. Fallin vetoed a bill that would have allowed new state employees to choose a defined contribution pension plan. NewsOK reports that Oklahoma gun shows are considered easy targets for felons seeking firearms.

The Number of the Day is the percentage of Oklahoma households with a past due mortgage. In today’s Policy Note, Jared Bernstein writes in the New York Times that the United States needs a new approach to address a persistent lack of jobs.

continue reading In The Know: State fee increases offset Oklahoma income tax cut

The Weekly Wonk is a summary of Oklahoma Policy Institute’s events, publications, blog posts, and coverage.  Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know.  Click here to subscribe to In The Know.

OK Policy’s Executive Director, David Blatt’s Journal Record column discusses silver linings in the tax cut debate. OK Policy was also mentioned in an Oklahoman editorial discussing adequate funding for school reforms.

 A guest post on the OK Policy blog discussed a new study out of Oregon which shows that extending Medicaid coverage greatly improves economic security and access to preventive care for low-income Americans. The blog also explained how Oklahoma lawmakers are back to being more interested in posturing against criminals than considering even the most moderate criminal justice reforms. Lastly we identified what you need to know about the most recent state budget agreement and explained why the new budget plan continues the trend of underfunding education in Oklahoma.

Numbers of the Day

• 15.7 percent – Percentage of households in communities of color in Oklahoma who don’t have access to a vehicle, compared to 4 percent for predominately white communities, 2009
• 472,400 – Number of households in Oklahoma who rent, about 33 percent of the state’s households
• 84 percent – Percentage of jobs lost in the state’s educational services sector that were held by women – a 5,547 drop in female employment compared to 1,063 for male employment between 2009 and 2011
• 4,600 – The number of homeless Oklahomans, 2012
• $200 million – Amount below five years ago going into Oklahoma’s state aid school funding formula; enrollment has increased by more than 30,000 students.

Policy Notes

• The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shares five strategies to smooth out the ups and downs of state tax dollars.
• The Tulsa Initiative Blog discusses a new paper showing that common Payday loan industry practices put consumers at long-term financial risk and often serve as “debt traps.”
• A study by Demos finds that due to low-paying government contractors, U.S. taxpayers employ more low-wage workers than Wal-Mart and McDonald’s combined.
• A new report by the Government Accountability Office forecasts a gloomy outlook for state and local government budgets.
• The Pew Research Center reports on the record share of Hispanic high school graduates enrolling in college in 2012.