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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. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
Today you should know that a House committee was told that the state of Oklahoma’s employee compensation system is “out of whack” with too much compensation as benefits and not enough into salaries. A consultant told the committee that state employee salaries trail market salaries by an average of more than 20 percent. Amid a dispute over hundreds of thousands in tobacco tax revenue, the Comanche Nation filed a federal lawsuit against the state and Gov. Mary Fallin.
State Rep. Mike Reynolds blasted proposed changes to lobbyist reporting and registration, conflict of interest and financial disclosure rules. Mustang High School is considering offering four Bible courses using a curriculum developed by Hobby Lobby President Steve Green. Blueprints for an ongoing renovation project appear to call for the creation of a chapel inside the Oklahoma Capitol. A manslaughter trial has begun for a Del City police officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old who was running away after a high-speed chase.
United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma announced a fundraising drive to expand early childhood education. Katrina vanden Heuvel writes in the Washington Post that Oklahoma is schooling the nation on early education. The Oklahoma Silver Haired Legislature proposed to boost funding for senior meal programs with a 50 cents increase for auto tag renewals.
The Number of the Day is how many working age Oklahoma have pre-existing conditions and were before the Affordable Care Act frequently denied insurance coverage. In today’s Policy Note, the New Yorker finds that in states with working online marketplaces and cooperative state leaders, the Affordable Care Act is proving very popular.
In The News
Oklahoma employees’ salary-to-benefit ratio called ‘out of whack’
The state of Oklahoma’s employee compensation system is “out of whack” with too much money being put into benefits and not enough into salaries, members of a state House committee were told Tuesday. State employee salaries trail market salaries by an average of more than 20 percent, consultant Neville Kenning said, providing committee members with an early glimpse at some of the findings of a widely anticipated state employee compensation study due to be released early next month. The state has good benefits, but they aren’t good enough to offset the lower pay, he said.
Comanche Nation files lawsuit against Oklahoma over tobacco tax treatment
Amid a dispute with the governor’s office and faced with the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in tobacco tax revenue, the Comanche Nation on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the state and Gov. Mary Fallin. At issue is the tribe’s compact with the state, which defines the tax break the tribe receives on tobacco sales. In the filing, the Comanche Nation argues the Chickasaw Nation and several other tribes received “more favorable terms” in their contracts with the state and the Comanches should receive equal treatment.
Rep. Reynolds blasts Ethics Commission’s proposed rules
State Rep. Mike Reynolds is blasting officials at the state Ethics Commission for offering proposed changes to lobbyist reporting and registration, conflict of interest and financial disclosure rules during a monthly meeting at the state Capitol on Monday. Reynolds said commissioners offered the rules under the guise of streamlining and cleaning up the reporting system, but the changes could lobbyists’ gifts to lawmakers by hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
Read more from the Norman Transcript.
Mustang High School considering Bible curriculum
Come next fall, Mustang High School students may be cracking a different kind of textbook. The district is examining the latest concept from Hobby Lobby President Steve Green, which features an educational Bible curriculum, covering every aspect of the book. Superintendent Sean McDaniel contacted Green for a presentation of the teachings at the latest school board meeting. The curriculum would include an intro course covering the Old and New Testaments and the Bible’s impact on society. Three advanced courses would focus on deeper history and cultural influence.
Blueprint for Capitol renovations include plans for chapel
Blueprints for an ongoing renovation project appear to call for the creation of a chapel inside the Oklahoma Capitol. The blueprints indicate the chapel would be on the second floor in space vacated by the Oklahoma Supreme Court and under control by the House of Representatives. Joe Griffin, a spokesman for House Speaker T.W. Shannon, said the chapel was Shannon’s idea.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Manslaughter trial begins for Del City police officer who shot teen
The friend of a teenager who was fatally shot by an Oklahoma police captain testified Tuesday that the unarmed 18-year-old was running away when the officer began firing at him. “It surprised me very much,” John Lockett, 17, testified on the first day of testimony in the trial of Del City police Capt. Randy Harrison, who is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the March 14, 2012, death of Dane Scott Jr. Lockett said he was a passenger in a car driven by Scott when Harrison pulled up behind them in a police car with lights flashing. Lockett said Scott led Harrison on a high-speed chase and tried to hide the marijuana and gun he had in the car.
Read more from the Washington Post.
United Way raising funds for early childhood education in Enid
United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma announced plans Tuesday evening at Garfield Elementary School for an impact initiative to help early childhood education. Titled “United: Early Education. Strong Families. Bold Economy,” $200,000 of the money raised will be allocated to Enid Public Schools to help with an Early Childhood Center for pre-kindergarten classrooms. The money also will allow EPS to received an additional $100,000 from the Inasmuch Foundation.
Read more from the Enid News & Eagle.
Oklahoma is schooling the nation on early education
In the richest country in the world, the poorest among us are children. Forty-two percent of African American children and 37 percent of Latino children are born poor – and they’re likely to stay poor. The 16 million children living in poverty suffer worse education, health and job outcomes, making it even harder for them and their families to break out of their circumstances. Studies demonstrate that kids who attend high-quality preschool achieve higher test scores, are less likely to go to jail and are more likely to secure good jobs with higher wages. Low-income kids of color, who are the least likely to have access to great preschools, benefit the most.
Read more from the Washington Post.
Silver Haired Legislature calls for better funding of senior nutrition programs
One recommendation from the Oklahoma Silver Haired Legislature would funnel some $1.5 million annually into senior meal programs, while another would eliminate the sales tax on hearing aids for seniors 60 and older. The proposed bill would add 50 cents to all car and truck tag renewals. “Several years back, the Legislature cut the state nutrition program funding by about $7 million. Some nutrition sites had to close while others in the state were put on a four-day meal service,” said James Spencer, a senior advocate from Shawnee.
Quote of the Day
Salary matters, and we need to start dispelling the myth we don’t need to be competitive on salaries.
-Consultant Neville Kenning, who told a House committee that state employee salaries trail market salaries by an average of more than 20 percent (Source: http://bit.ly/1aG7uNB)
Number of the Day
742,200
The number of Oklahomans (18-64 yrs) with ‘pre-existing conditions’ who were, before the Affordable Care Act, frequently denied insurance coverage, 33.8 percent of the state’s working age population
Source: FamiliesUSA
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Americans like Obamacare where they can get it
As the Washington press corps reports that the Obama Administration is failing—and threatening to take down with it the entire philosophy of liberalism—a funny thing is happening out there across the country. In a number of states that have working online health-care exchanges, more and more people are signing up for the insurance coverage that is available under the Affordable Care Act. In California, where local officials have launched a campaign to remind residents that the state’s new Web site, Covered California, is separate from the troubled federal site healthcare.gov, enrollment is rising fast. Similar things are happening in other states across the country.
Read more from the New Yorker.
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