What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma.
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On the eve of the last regular committee deadline for many bills, some legislation appears to have been derailed by feuding between the House and Senate. These bills might still be saved by some creative reinterpretation of legislative rules, but it's a reminder that we can't take a smooth process for granted, even in a Legislature dominated by one party.
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Skyrocketing student growth over the past seven years means that virtual charter schools receive a growing share of state funding, and concerns center around how these public dollars are used and their impact on student outcomes.
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By:
Gene Perry
April 9, 2019 // Updated: April 23, 2019
This episode of OKPolicyCast was hosted and produced by Gene Perry. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want…
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By:
Steve Lewis
April 8, 2019 // Updated: April 8, 2019
It seems a little earlier than usual, but you can tell when thoughts start turning toward adjournment of the Legislature by increased talk about the budget. Because the Legislature runs on a timetable of deadlines, the substantive law and policy…
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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma.
[More...]
We have one week to go before the next big deadline in the Legislature. Legislative committees have until Thursday, April 11th for bills from the opposite chamber. Those that don't receive a vote by the deadline will go dormant until next year.
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By 2020, 67 percent of all jobs created in Oklahoma will require some college, a certificate or a college degree. Legislators would be wise to invest some of this year's growth revenue back into higher education so our economy can continue to thrive for years to come.
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Thousands of Oklahomans who have not been convicted of a crime are locked in county jails across the state because they can’t afford to buy their freedom from a bondsman. How long you stay in jail often depends on where…
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By:
Steve Lewis
April 1, 2019 // Updated: April 1, 2019
It came to light recently that the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) is out of money and needs an emergency $16 million to avoid furloughing employees. Obviously, this isn't going down well with legislators who just went through the same thing in 2017 with the Oklahoma State Department of Health only to later learn that the shortfall wasn't really a shortfall. Senate Appropriations Chairman Roger Thompson has filed a bill splitting out the information technology functions of the agency.
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