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
June 3, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
One measure adopted this session to mitigate the extent of budget cuts was HB 2359, which aims to increase the collections of taxes owed on purchases made over the Internet or by other remote retailers. After opposition emerged, the final… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 2, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
OK Policy is pleased to be partnering with the Community Service Council, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, and other community organizations to host a one-day forum titled, “Health Care Reform: Transitioning Health Care for Oklahoma’s Children and Families.” The event… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 1, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Once bitten, twice shy. Or is it twice bitten, thrice shy? Oklahoma’s budgeting laws try to protect against mid-year budget shortfalls by allowing the Legislature to appropriate only 95 percent of the certified estimate of General Revenue (GR) fund collections… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 26, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Earlier this year, we explored the question of what does and does not fall under the supermajority provisions of SQ 640. In these final days of the legislative session, this question has assumed renewed relevance with the introduction and passage… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 25, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post contributions that offer interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. Michael Lipsky is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos, a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 21, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Legislative leaders and the Governor yesterday announced their agreement on the FY ’11 budget. We’ve posted the press release here and the document that was provided comparing appropriations for each agency for this budget year and next, and listing the… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 20, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This is the third in an ongoing series of posts looking at the impact of the new federal health care reform law on Oklahoma and Oklahomans. Our previous posts have explored the “cliff effect” and the impact on state budgets.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 18, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
This week, the Oklahoman’s editorial board revisited the question of whether the state’s budget crisis is the result of the large and permanent tax cuts enacted during the mid-2000’s when the economy was booming and state revenues were soaring. The… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 17, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The latest Numbers You Need, our monthly bulletin of key economic and budget trends and data, reflects continued, if modest, progress on the job front and improved state revenue collections. Previously we reported decent growth in state personal income for… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 12, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Back in March, a member of the Board that oversees the state Department of Corrections (DOC) delivered a blunt message to the state’s elected officials about the impact that growing inmate populations and funding cuts were having on the department’s… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
Once bitten, twice shy. Or is it twice bitten, thrice shy? Oklahoma’s budgeting laws try to protect against mid-year budget shortfalls by allowing the Legislature to appropriate only 95 percent of the certified estimate of General Revenue (GR) fund collections… Read more [More...]
From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post contributions that offer interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. Michael Lipsky is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos, a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy… Read more [More...]
This week, the Oklahoman’s editorial board revisited the question of whether the state’s budget crisis is the result of the large and permanent tax cuts enacted during the mid-2000’s when the economy was booming and state revenues were soaring. The… Read more [More...]
The latest Numbers You Need, our monthly bulletin of key economic and budget trends and data, reflects continued, if modest, progress on the job front and improved state revenue collections. Previously we reported decent growth in state personal income for… Read more [More...]
Back in March, a member of the Board that oversees the state Department of Corrections (DOC) delivered a blunt message to the state’s elected officials about the impact that growing inmate populations and funding cuts were having on the department’s… Read more [More...]
