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
April 7, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
During the last state fiscal crisis, from 2002 -04, funding for Oklahoma’s Medicaid program was hit hard. In FY ’02 and FY ’03, as revenues began to plummet, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) put coverage of almost all non-mandatory… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 6, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Mickey’s Musings, the policy blog of UCO Economics Professor Mickey Hepner, is consistently one of the best local sources for credible information and thoughtful opinion on economic and fiscal issues facing Oklahoma and the nation. One of Mickey’s favorite themes,… Read more [More...]
“The sky is falling!” clearly would make a more compelling headline, but in the case of state agencies trying to deal with the continuing pressures of rising costs, increasing responsibilities, and flat funding, the reality is less dramatic but no… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 4, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In the early 1990’s, faced with health care costs that were rising at unmanageable rates and widespread dissatisfaction with the quality of the state’s Medicaid program, the Oklahoma Legislature created the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) as a stand-alone agency… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 3, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
The Tulsa World penned a strong and persuasive editorial on the voter ID proposal, SB 4, that has now passed both legislative chambers and is now awaiting action by the Governor. Supporters of the legislation try to argue that requiring… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 2, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
A new OK Policy issue brief looks at the federal stimulus funding that is being made available to states that adopt a number of modest reforms to their Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs. As the number of jobless workers claiming UI… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 1, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This session, OK Policy has been involved with a coalition of organizations and individuals promoting an increase in the Sales Tax Relief credit, commonly known as the grocery tax credit. The existing credit, intended to offset the state sales tax… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 31, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Recently, The Oklahoman criticized OK Policy for our opposition to a proposal under legislative consideration that would waive existing state laws that require insurance companies to provide coverage of basic health benefits as part of any policy for young adults.… Read more [More...]
The OK Policy blog has been a long time coming. As we begin our experiment with what is, for us at least, a new way of communicating with our audiences, we want to let you know why we’re doing this… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 30, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The AP reported Thursday that Oklahoma’s budget shortfall could potentially take another $65 million hit as a result of tax provisions that were included as part of the federal stimulus bill passed by Congress in February. The stimulus bill, or… Read more [More...]
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“The sky is falling!” clearly would make a more compelling headline, but in the case of state agencies trying to deal with the continuing pressures of rising costs, increasing responsibilities, and flat funding, the reality is less dramatic but no… Read more [More...]
