Former Executive Director David Blatt joined OK Policy in 2008 and served as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2019. He previously served as Director of Public Policy for Community Action Project of Tulsa County and as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma State Senate. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University and a B.A. from the University of Alberta. David has been selected as Political Scientist of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, Local Social Justice Champion by the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, and Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers.
By: David Blatt
September 16, 2023 // Updated: September 16, 2023
The Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that aims to constrain federal spending by various means, including prohibiting annual federal outlays from exceeding receipts.
BBA legislation has been introduced regularly in Congress since… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
January 18, 2023 // Updated: July 26, 2023
A concurrent resolution is a measure passed by both legislature chambers to express facts, principles, opinions, wishes and purposes of the legislature. Concurrent resolutions are also used to memorialize the president, congress, cabinet members or federal agencies on a certain… Read more [More...]
A joint resolution is a resolution passed by both houses of the legislature which, if signed by the Governor, has the force and effect of law. Some Oklahoma case law suggests that joint resolutions may only be used for temporary… Read more [More...]
Oklahoma allows straight-party voting, also known as straight-ticket voting, in general elections. Straight-party voting enables a voter to select one political party’s complete slate of candidates for every office by making a single mark on his or her ballot. Oklahoma… Read more [More...]
The individual income tax is Oklahoma’s largest single revenue source for state government. Oklahoma first levied an income tax in 1915. The top income tax rate has been cut repeatedly since the late 1990s, and most recently was lowered to… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 26, 2022 // Updated: August 9, 2023
The LEAD (Large-scale Economic Activity and Development ) Act is legislation passed by the Oklahoma Legislature in April 2022 in an effort to incentivize a major manufacturer to build a massive electric vehicle battery factory in the MidAmerica Industrial Park… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 6, 2022 // Updated: January 18, 2023
The Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Act, passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Brad Henry in 2010, provides public funds for eligible children with disabilities to attend private schools.
Students are eligible to receive the scholarship… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 7, 2022 // Updated: July 25, 2023
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was a major piece of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in March 2021 intended to provide support for families, businesses, and governments to help address the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The… Read more [More...]
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) is an alternative measure of poverty, developed and reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, that is intended to provide a more thorough and accurate assessment of how much income a household needs to get by.… Read more [More...]
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the main measure of inflation in the United States and is used to assess price changes associated with the cost of living. The CPI, which is calculated and reported monthly by the U.S. Bureau… Read more [More...]
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