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
May 26, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last week, I attended a meeting of the State Coverage Initiative (SCI), an effort that has taken shape over the past two years under the leadership of Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland to develop a plan to extend health insurance coverage… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 22, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
When legislative leaders and the Governor announced the FY ’10 budget deal last Friday, they stated that the agreement “protects the four core functions of government, including education, health care, corrections and transportation.” It may not be that simple. The… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 21, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
It is clear that the $7.2 billion FY ’10 budget agreement reached by legislative leaders and the Governor will lead to a tough and painful year ahead as agencies struggle to address increased costs and growing caseloads on flat or… Read more [More...]
A new report by our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that the approach Oklahoma policymakers are taking to the current fiscal crisis – implementing budget cuts without drawing down reserves or looking at raising revenues… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 20, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The May edition of Numbers You Need, our monthly update of key Oklahoma economic and budget trends, includes some recent data on bankruptcy filings in Oklahoma that provides another indicator of the spread of economic hardship in the state. For… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 19, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
The initial reports on the agreement for the Fy ’10 budget reached on Friday between legislative leaders and the Governor were positive – due to the availability of over $600 million in federal stimulus dollars, key education, health care, and… Read more [More...]
Recently, The New York Times had a front-page article spotlighting the extent to which victims of the economic downturn are able to access public benefits that are part of the nation’s safety net. Most programs, including Unemployment Insurance, food stamps,… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 17, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
On Friday afternoon, legislative leaders and the Governor announced the outline of a long-awaited budget agreement. This step is necessary to start the flood of bills to fund state agencies, allocate some of the federal stimulus money, and decide what… Read more [More...]
As we reach one week until the scheduled adjournment of the Oklahoma Legislature on May 22nd, we can only share the advice offered by Bette Davis in All About Eve: “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
The May edition of Numbers You Need, our monthly update of key Oklahoma economic and budget trends, includes some recent data on bankruptcy filings in Oklahoma that provides another indicator of the spread of economic hardship in the state. For… Read more [More...]
Dan Piraro provides a Bizzaro taste of what’s in store for publicly-funded services in Oklahoma… Read more [More...]
