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
March 24, 2009 // Updated: August 21, 2025
As we showed in the March edition of Numbers You Need, the number of laid-off Oklahomans receiving unemployment benefits is skyrocketing. An average of 4,881 workers filed first-time claims in January, an increase of 149 percent compared to September 2008.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 21, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
If you’re anything like me or most anyone I know, chances are you’ve spent a good part of the last year reading and listening to stories about “collateral debt obligations” and “credit default swaps” and “toxic assets” and “zombie banks”… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 19, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
Both houses of the Legislature this week passed a resolution, SJR 12, that would allow this year’s session to adjourn sine die on May 22nd, one week earlier than scheduled. The goal, explained President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, is to… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 18, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As we’ve said, we are very pleased by Governor Henry’s swift action in launching a state website to provide information on the federal stimulus bill (formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA), as it applies to… Read more [More...]
Sunday’s edition of the New York Times had a front-page report on the steep drop in drilling activity that has followed plunging oil prices in recent months. Since last summer, the number of oil and gas rigs deployed to tap… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 17, 2009 // Updated: August 21, 2025
Numbers You Need is a monthly publication from OK Policy that presents key data on the state's economy, work force, human services and budget in one concise easy-to-read fact sheet.
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By: David Blatt
March 15, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last week I sat down with the editorial board of the Tulsa World to discuss the state’s worsening fiscal outlook. Julie Delcour’s column in today’s Opinion section sets out some of our main messages about the severity of the problem… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 13, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Over the past two years, Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has been spearheading an extensive effort known as the State Coverage Initiative (SCI) to develop a plan to extend health insurance coverage to a sizable segment of the 640,000 Oklahomans who… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 12, 2009 // Updated: August 21, 2025
The February revenue numbers are in and they are not good. The Treasurer’s office reported Tuesday that general revenue came in a whopping $103.9 million, or 30.4 percent below the certified estimate for February. In January, collections missed the estimate… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 11, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Federal agencies are releasing information and guidance on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) at a fast and furious pace. The Department of Education has a webpage that has detailed information on each of the major funding streams for… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
As we showed in the March edition of Numbers You Need, the number of laid-off Oklahomans receiving unemployment benefits is skyrocketing. An average of 4,881 workers filed first-time claims in January, an increase of 149 percent compared to September 2008.… Read more [More...]
