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 2, 2018 // Updated: December 2, 2022
Under the Oklahoma Constitution, citizens have the power to repeal legislation via veto referendum. Article V, Section 3 states:
Referendum petitions shall be filed with the Secretary of State not more than ninety (90) days after the final adjournment of… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 22, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
For a brief moment, it looked as though there might be one silver lining to the ongoing state budget crisis. Over the past two years, a majority of legislators have voted repeatedly for tax increases needed to avert budget cuts… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 15, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Oklahoma Education Association last week called on the Legislature to support an ambitious proposal to increase funding for public education and state services. The association, which represents nearly 40,000 teachers and school employees across the state, warned that “If… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 8, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Are Oklahomans better served by state agencies that preserve their independence or that are more directly subject to the Governor’s control? That’s the key question for Oklahoma legislators this session as they consider a series of bills that would fundamentally… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 28, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Governor Mary Fallin called two special sessions of the Legislature in 2017-18. The first was aimed at filling a $215 million hole to the budgets of three health agencies – the Department of Mental Health and Substance Services, Department of… Read more [More...]
Earlier this month, HB 1033xx, the main revenue measure based on proposals from the Step Up Oklahoma coalition, failed to gain the three-quarters support in the House needed to pass a revenue bill. Unlike a similar measure that failed in… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 22, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Miami Public Schools in Ottawa County serves about 2,500 K-12 students in seven schools. This year, four school librarian positions were eliminated, leaving the district without a single librarian.
In Newkirk, there is no librarian and no speech or drama… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
January 24, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Note: This post was edited on Jan. 28th to reflect updated revenue estimates from the Step Up coalition
The new Step Up Oklahoma coalition, a bipartisan group of business and civic leaders and organizations, has put forward a comprehensive plan… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
January 4, 2018 // Updated: May 1, 2019
For the first time in four years, lawmakers may begin the 2018 session with more money to appropriate than the year before. This is undeniably good news, coming after multiple sessions when lawmakers started the year with shortfalls ranging from… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
January 2, 2018 // Updated: June 14, 2021
Oklahoma Policy Institute is excited to announce the appointment of three new members to our Board of Directors – Kara Berst of Ada, Dr. Jason Kirksey of Stillwater, and Erika Lucas of Oklahoma City.
“Kara, Jason, and Erika are all successful… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
For a brief moment, it looked as though there might be one silver lining to the ongoing state budget crisis. Over the past two years, a majority of legislators have voted repeatedly for tax increases needed to avert budget cuts… Read more [More...]
The Oklahoma Education Association last week called on the Legislature to support an ambitious proposal to increase funding for public education and state services. The association, which represents nearly 40,000 teachers and school employees across the state, warned that “If… Read more [More...]
Are Oklahomans better served by state agencies that preserve their independence or that are more directly subject to the Governor’s control? That’s the key question for Oklahoma legislators this session as they consider a series of bills that would fundamentally… Read more [More...]
Governor Mary Fallin called two special sessions of the Legislature in 2017-18. The first was aimed at filling a $215 million hole to the budgets of three health agencies – the Department of Mental Health and Substance Services, Department of… Read more [More...]
Earlier this month, HB 1033xx, the main revenue measure based on proposals from the Step Up Oklahoma coalition, failed to gain the three-quarters support in the House needed to pass a revenue bill. Unlike a similar measure that failed in… Read more [More...]
Miami Public Schools in Ottawa County serves about 2,500 K-12 students in seven schools. This year, four school librarian positions were eliminated, leaving the district without a single librarian.
In Newkirk, there is no librarian and no speech or drama… Read more [More...]
Note: This post was edited on Jan. 28th to reflect updated revenue estimates from the Step Up coalition
The new Step Up Oklahoma coalition, a bipartisan group of business and civic leaders and organizations, has put forward a comprehensive plan… Read more [More...]
For the first time in four years, lawmakers may begin the 2018 session with more money to appropriate than the year before. This is undeniably good news, coming after multiple sessions when lawmakers started the year with shortfalls ranging from… Read more [More...]
Oklahoma Policy Institute is excited to announce the appointment of three new members to our Board of Directors – Kara Berst of Ada, Dr. Jason Kirksey of Stillwater, and Erika Lucas of Oklahoma City.
“Kara, Jason, and Erika are all successful… Read more [More...]
