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
October 15, 2019 // Updated: October 13, 2024
TSET is an endowment trust established with payments from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between 46 states and the tobacco industry.
In November 2000, with passage of State Question 692, Oklahoma became the first and only state to direct… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 11, 2019 // Updated: July 30, 2024
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) – formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and often referred to as Obamacare – is the landmark health care legislation passed by Congress during the presidency of Barack Obama in 2010.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 10, 2019 // Updated: September 25, 2022
Property tax rates (also known as ad valorem taxes) in most states, including Oklahoma, are set in mills. A mill is $1 in tax for every $1,000 in taxable value. For convenience in Oklahoma, a tax rate (the sum of… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 9, 2019 // Updated: August 24, 2024
FMAP (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage) is the share of Medicaid expenditures paid by the federal government.
Medicaid is funded through a combination of federal and state dollars. The standard federal share is determined by a mathematical formula, laid out in… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 29, 2019 // Updated: August 29, 2019
By endorsing SQ 802, we will stand with our longstanding partners, allies, and funders in promoting this nonpartisan effort to expand access to health coverage. [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 20, 2019 // Updated: August 20, 2019
OK Policy is excited to announce that Nicole Poindexter has joined the organization as a full-time Outreach and Legislative Liaison and that Kyle Lawson has been promoted to a new position as Senior Field Organizer. [More...]
By: David Blatt
July 11, 2019 // Updated: September 1, 2024
The Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT), created by SB 1 in 2019, is a division within the Legislative Service Bureau intended to provide greater legislative oversight of state agency budgets. Duties of the Office include gathering information related to… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
July 10, 2019 // Updated: September 19, 2024
The Quick Action Closing Fund was created by HB 1953 in 2011. It is intended as a source of funds available to the Governor to attract high-impact businesses when incentive payments are expected to be the deciding factor in a… Read more [More...]
In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved SQ 712, which set up a model compact between the state and Native American tribes to regulate tribal gaming operations. Under the compact, tribes were authorized to operate specified games in return for making exclusivity… Read more [More...]