Category: Media Coverage

Bill Would Require Long-Term Suspension of Elementary Students for Assaulting Teacher (Oklahoma Watch)

By Jennifer Palmer Update 4/28/17: Senate Bill 81 failed. Students as young as pre-K can be, and are, suspended from Oklahoma schools for as long as the remainder of the school year for violating school rules. A proposal working its… Read more [More...]

Prosperity district bill gains ground (Journal Record)

By Catherine Sweeney OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislators signed off on two vague bills this session that would create special districts with abnormally lax regulations. As one of the measures moves through committee and onto the floor, the picture is getting a… Read more [More...]

Lawmakers concerned cuts could lead to federal takeover (Claremore Daily Progress)

By Janelle Stecklein Concerns are mounting that the Legislature’s ongoing budget woes could lead to a new court showdown and trigger a possible federal takeover of the state’s foster care system. And observers fear the biggest loser in the tussle… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma lawmakers, voters disagree on punishments for drug crimes (PBS)

By Kamala Kelkar Despite decades of leading the country in female incarceration rates and evidence that long sentences do not deter drug users, Oklahoma lawmakers are rushing to undermine recent voter initiatives that weakened punishments for drug offenses and invested… Read more [More...]

Without babies and immigrants, Tulsa County would have lost population last year (Tulsa World)

By Curtis Killman Tulsa County’s population grew by less than 1 percent in fiscal year 2016, with all the growth due to births and people moving into the county from outside the country, according to the latest data from the… Read more [More...]

HB 1913: A path to deeper debt (OCCC Pioneer)

By Sophia Babb HB 1913: A path to deeper debt House Bill 1913 was introduced by Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, as an avenue towards more payday lending options. In Oklahoma, payday loans are advertised as a way for people… Read more [More...]

First Unitarian-OKC begins new forum series (NewsOK)

By Carla Hinton “Both Sides of the Issue,” a new monthly  forum series, begins Thursday, March 23, at First Unitarian Church 600 NW 13. Two panelists will discuss “The Pros and Cons of a $15 Minimum Wage” in the first forum… Read more [More...]

Even Oklahomans have reservations about ‘repeal and replace’ health care bill (Tulsa World)

By Randy Krehbiel Oklahomans, on the whole, never professed much affection for the Affordable Care Act. They may not like the current repeal-and-replace bill any better. Policy experts say the American Health Care Act doesn’t do much to improve Oklahomans’… Read more [More...]

Misused lottery money digs Oklahoma in deeper budget hole (KFOR)

By Lorne Fultonberg OKLAHOMA CITY – Unconstitutional spending last year means state lawmakers will have to pay the lottery millions before it begins to set the state’s education budget. The Board of Equalization determined last month the state supplanted the education budget with… Read more [More...]

Analysts say Federal Budget Doubles Down on State Program Hits (KWGS)

By Marshall Stewart   The Trump federal budget, as proposed, would amount to a double hit to Oklahoma, given state budget woes. It’s the word from the Oklahoma Policy Institute’s David Blatt, who says the cuts would hurt programs that… Read more [More...]