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
November 15, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Rep. David Dank is co-chair of the Tax Credit Task Force. This is his opening statement to the Task Force’s meeting of November 9th. It is reprinted with permission and has been edited for length as indicated by […] The… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 8, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
James W. Utterback, Ph.D. is President of Seminole State College and Chair of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority Board. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of OETA or any other group… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 7, 2011 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Oklahoma is facing serious challenges when it comes to having the resources to provide the sorts of public services that help create jobs and build a strong economy.
Yet while the need to chart a sound, sustainable fiscal course is… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 31, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Michael Mazerov is a Senior Fellow with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where he specializes in state and local taxation of businesses. This interview was conducted by e-mail on October 25, 2011. For additional information on combined reporting,… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 27, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Why do some companies choose to locate their businesses in Texas rather than Oklahoma? During the first two meetings of the Task Force on Comprehensive Tax Reform, co-chair Representative David Dank has stated repeatedly that the absence of the personal… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 26, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Under the new national health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), one major strategy for providing health insurance coverage to the 50 million Americans who are currently uninsured is an expansion of eligibility in the Medicaid… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 19, 2011 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Though revenue collections continue to show steady growth, state budgets remain under great stress. After three successive years of funding cuts, most state agencies are operating this year with appropriations that are at least 10 percent less than prior to… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 17, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved a series of measures intended to raise new revenues for education and health care through a state lottery (SQ 705 and 706), gaming compacts (SQ 712), and increased tobacco taxes (SQ 713). OK Policy has… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 10, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Note: In September, the Attorney General’s office issued a letter addressing whether the Oklahoma Commission for Human Services had acted improperly in approving changes to the state’s child care subsidy program at a June meeting without going through the official… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 5, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Many state political and business leaders are clamoring to do away with Oklahoma’s personal income tax, the state’s single largest revenue source, while acknowledging the need to maintain sufficient tax revenue to fund basic services. One influential participant in the… Read more [More...]