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
September 18, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Are Oklahoma voters being asked to do away with the Department of Human Services in a referendum this November? This was not the intent of legislators in sending State Question 765 to a popular vote, but ambiguities in the legislation… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 11, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This blog post was authored by Michelle Cantrell, a tax specialist residing in Tulsa
One of the six ballot measures facing voters this November is State Question 766, which asks Oklahomans whether the state should have the authority to tax… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 23, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This post originally ran on our blog in November 2011 and is part of an ongoing series of posts examining the Affordable Care Act. For links to previous posts and additional resources, please visit the health care reform page on… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 22, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As students head back to school this month, they will encounter an education system facing a crisis in funding. Over the past four years, state support for public schools has been slashed by $220 million, or 11 percent, while school… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 16, 2012 // Updated: May 1, 2019
This week’s announcement of General Revenue (GR) collections for the first month of the new fiscal year (FY 2013) provided mixed news for both overall collections and the performance of particular major taxes.
Overall GR in July was $382.7 million.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 15, 2012 // Updated: May 1, 2019
The past several years have put severe constraints on the state budget. State appropriations remain below their levels of four years ago. Many state agencies have absorbed funding cuts of over 20 percent, and most have been forced to cut… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 13, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
When Congress approved a prescription drug benefit for the Medicare program in the mid-2000s, it created the infamous ‘Medicare donut hole‘ – a large gap in coverage of prescription drug costs.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the landmark health care… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 8, 2012 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Without new revenue, federal deficit reduction efforts will lead to devastating cuts in federal support for education, transportation, law enforcement, the social safety net, and other state and local programs, according to a new report from the Center on Budget… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 7, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This session, the Oklahoma legislature debated a slew of proposals to cut and, in some cases, eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax. While some proposals were revenue-neutral, doing away with tax credits and deductions to offset cuts to the top marginal… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 2, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Peter Fisher is Research Director of the Iowa Policy Project. This is an abridged and edited version of a brief that was prepared as part of a larger research project critically examining several state economic competitiveness rankings published by national… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
This post originally ran on our blog in November 2011 and is part of an ongoing series of posts examining the Affordable Care Act. For links to previous posts and additional resources, please visit the health care reform page on… Read more [More...]
The past several years have put severe constraints on the state budget. State appropriations remain below their levels of four years ago. Many state agencies have absorbed funding cuts of over 20 percent, and most have been forced to cut… Read more [More...]
Without new revenue, federal deficit reduction efforts will lead to devastating cuts in federal support for education, transportation, law enforcement, the social safety net, and other state and local programs, according to a new report from the Center on Budget… Read more [More...]
This session, the Oklahoma legislature debated a slew of proposals to cut and, in some cases, eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax. While some proposals were revenue-neutral, doing away with tax credits and deductions to offset cuts to the top marginal… Read more [More...]
Peter Fisher is Research Director of the Iowa Policy Project. This is an abridged and edited version of a brief that was prepared as part of a larger research project critically examining several state economic competitiveness rankings published by national… Read more [More...]
