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
February 26, 2021 // Updated: March 5, 2021
Emergency rules are exceptions to the regular permanent administrative rule-making process for state agencies, boards and commissions. As set out by Title 75, Section 253 of Oklahoma Statutes, emergency rules may be promulgated if an agency can establish that the… Read more [More...]
Budget reconciliation is a special process that makes specific legislation easier to pass in the U.S. Congress. In the Senate, reconciliation bills aren’t subject to the filibuster and therefore need only a simple majority of 51 votes to pass.
The… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
January 8, 2021 // Updated: November 15, 2022
Under a provision of Oklahoma law passed in 1996, the Oklahoma Tax Commission is tasked with preparing a biannual report that provides the Commission’s “best estimate of the amount of state revenue that would have been collected but for the… Read more [More...]
State Question 802, passed by Oklahoma voters in June 2020, expanded eligibility for Medicaid as of July 2021. For more information, see entries for Medicaid Expansion and Medicaid.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 16, 2020 // Updated: August 19, 2023
Oklahoma voters in 1990 approved State Question 632, which limited any member of the Legislature elected after the measure’s effective date to a maximum of 12 years of legislative service. The 12-year term limit applies to service in either legislative… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 8, 2020 // Updated: August 2, 2023
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, Public Law 89-10), enacted in 1965 as part of the Johnson Administration’s War on Poverty, was the most ambitious and far-ranging federal education law. Its primary purpose was to ensure full educational opportunity… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 23, 2020 // Updated: October 8, 2020
As the June 30th primaries approach, we already know that the 2020 elections will look very different than 2018. Here are five things we know about the upcoming races and their implications within the Oklahoma Legislature. [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 21, 2020 // Updated: August 18, 2023
Section 1115 Medicaid waivers, or 1115 waivers, are waivers from federal Medicaid law intended to give states an avenue to test new approaches in Medicaid that differ from what is required by federal statute.
Section 1115 of the Social Security… Read more [More...]
The Pinnacle Plan was developed and implemented by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) to reform the state’s child welfare system. The plan, announced in July 2012, emerged out of a settlement agreement reached in a federal class action… Read more [More...]
The balanced budget requirement is accomplished by limiting appropriations for seven funds, of which the General Revenue Fund is by far the largest, to no more than 95 percent of certified revenue estimates for the upcoming year. [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
As the June 30th primaries approach, we already know that the 2020 elections will look very different than 2018. Here are five things we know about the upcoming races and their implications within the Oklahoma Legislature. [More...]
