SPI 2013 Agenda

OK Policy Summer Policy Institute Program

 (as of July 29, 2013; subject to change)

August 5-7, 2013

Click on names of speakers for their bios; click on locations for directions

All events at the University of Tulsa Allen Chapman Activity Center (ACAC) unless otherwise noted

Monday, August 5

12:30 – 1:00 –  Registration & Room Check-in for students staying on campus – Lobby, 2nd floor, ACAC

1:00 – 1:30: Registration for commuting students – Lobby, 2nd floor, ACAC

1:30 – 2:00 – Welcome, Gallery (David Blatt, OK Policy Director;  Susan Neal, TU Vice-President and OK Policy Board member), Introductions;  Logistics

2:00 – 3:30 – Making Sausage: Overview of the Oklahoma Legislative Process, Gallery – Gene Perry & David Blatt, OK Policy

This session will provide participants an overview of the Oklahoma legislative process based on OK Policy’s Legislative Primer. Topics will include the make-up of the legislature, executive and legislative leadership, the steps of the legislative process, and the role of lobbyists, agencies and advocates.

3:30 – 4:30 – Begin interactive research projects, Lobby/Gallery

During these sessions, students will subdivide into small groups and work with each other and OK Policy staff on a guided interactive mini-research project.  Students will learn how to better perform targeted internet searches and gain a better understanding of the key components of a quality source.

4:30 – 5:15 – Free Time & Late Room Check-in, Lobby

5:15 –  Shuttle buses leave for Gilcrease Museum

5:30 – 6:30 – Opening Reception: Gilcrease Museum Restaurant

6:30 – 8:30 – Dinner (Gilcrease Museum Vista Room)

                Topic:  Political Leadership: Myths and Realities

Speakers: Former Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, Chancellor Glen Johnson, Former Speaker  Kris Steele,

Moderator: John Feaver, President, University of Science and the Arts of Oklahoma, OK Policy Board Member

This group of distinguished political leaders will draw on their experience in government to share key lessons on how the political system operates and what is needed to be a successful political leader

8:45 – Shuttle buses return to TU

Tuesday, August 6th

8:00 – 8:45 –  Gallery, Breakfast (no program)

Plenary Session #1: Budget and Taxes, Great Hall A

9:00 – 10:00 – The nuts and bolts of state budget and taxes

In this presentation, OK Policy director David Blatt will discuss the major components of Oklahoma’s tax system and state budget, and will review recent changes in the state fiscal landscape stemming from legislative policy decisions, the Great Recession, and federal deficit control efforts

10:00 – 11:30 – Panel Discussion: Oklahoma’s Fiscal Challenges, Great Hall A

Panelists: Ken Miller (Oklahoma State Treasurer), Prof. Mickey Hepner (University of Central Oklahoma), Prof. Cynthia Rogers (University of Oklahoma), Lela Odom (Oklahoma Education Association)

Moderator: Don Millican, Kaiser-Francis Oil Company, OK Policy Board member

In this session, political leaders and academic specialists will discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by a changing fiscal landscape at the local, state and federal levels

11:30 – 1:00 – Lunch, Gallery

                Topic: Oklahoma Campaigns and Elections

Speakers: Prof. Keith Gaddie (University of Oklahoma), Sheryl Lovelady (Political Analyst), Pat McFerron (CMA Strategies)

Moderator: Megan Benn, OK Policy

Will Oklahoma remain the reddest state in the nation? Will Democrats ever again win a statewide office in Oklahoma? Will Tea Party Republicans and Chamber of Commerce Republicans find ways to get along? The lunchtime panelists will discuss the state of political campaigns in Oklahoma, focusing on competition between and within the two major political parties.

Plenary Session #2: Poverty and the Safety Net, Great Hall A

1:15 – 1:45 – Overview

OK Policy staffer Kate Richey will present an overview of the extent and makeup of poverty in Oklahoma, as well as the major public programs that help struggling families get by and get ahead.

1:45 – 2:45– Panel Discussion

Panelists: Eileen Bradshaw (Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma), Jim Struby (Oklahoma Department of Human Services),  Felicia Collins Correia (YWCA Tulsa); Kris Steele ( TEEM Ministries)

Moderator: Linda Edmondson, Social Worker, OK Policy Board member

In this session, directors of non-profit agencies and the state’s human services agency will discuss the challenges facing low-income Oklahomans and the successes and failures of programs aimed at expanding economic opportunity and financial security.

Plenary Session #3: Jobs and Economic Development

3:00 – 4:00 – Panel Discussion

Panelists: Ruben Aragon (Latino Community Development Agency),  Shelley Cadamy-Munoz (Workforce Tulsa), Rachel Hutchings (American Airlines), Justin McLaughlin (Tulsa Regional Chamber), Terry McGee (McGee Enterprises)

Moderator:  Kate Richey, OK Policy

What policies should our state and local governments be pursuing to grow our economy and provide Oklahomans with stable, good-paying jobs? The panelists will look at workforce development issues, tax incentives, and quality of life issues. The challenges of providing opportunities to low-income and minority workers will receive particular attention.

4:15 – 5:15 – Interactive research projects, Gallery

6:30 – 9:00 – Dinner at McNellie’s Public House (no program)

Wednesday, August 7th

7:45–  8:45 – Breakfast panel: The changing media landscape, Gallery

Holly Wall of This Land Press, Randy Krehbiel of the Tulsa World and Pat McGuigan of CapitolBeat OK will discuss the strengths and failings of the media in covering Oklahoma policy debates.

Moderator: Gene Perry, OK Policy

Plenary Session #4: Health Care, Great Hall A

9:00 – 9:30 – Overview

OK Policy staffer Tiece Dempsey will present an overview of health and health care in Oklahoma, looking in particular at health insurance coverage, the Affordable Care Act, health outcomes and health disparities.

9:30 – 10:30 – Panel Discussion: Oklahoma’s Health Policy Challenges

Panelists: Becky Pasternik -Ikard (Oklahoma Health Care Authority), Steve Buck (Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services), Dr. Gerry Clancy (OU-Tulsa), Greta Stewart (Oklahoma Primary Care Association), Dr. Charles Grim (Cherokee Nations Health Systems)

Moderator: Tiece Dempsey, OK Policy

Why is Oklahoma such an unhealthy state, what is being done about it, and what more needs to be done? Leaders of major health care agencies and institutions will look at Oklahoma’s major health challenges, focusing on issues related to coverage, cost, access and quality.

Breakout Sessions (See your breakout session assignments here.)

10:45 – 12:00 – Breakout Sessions #1 (Participants will select one of the four)

  • Education, Great Hall B – Gene Perry, Oklahoma Policy Institute

During a time when most issues are increasingly polarized, education policy debates have tended not to break down on typical partisan lines. This session will discuss multiple perspectives on education policy, including such issues as high-stakes testing, school choice, local control, and education funding.

This session will address racial disparities throughout the criminal justice system, from calls for service to arrests and prosecution, sentencing and corrections. It  will also discuss how rising costs and declining budgets for criminal justice agencies affect their ability to change effectively to decrease that racial disparity.

  • Water, Chouteau A – J.D. Strong, Oklahoma Water Resources Board

Through passage of the Water for 2060 Act, water conservation has taken center stage as Oklahoma becomes the first state in the nation to establish a comprehensive, statewide goal of consuming no more fresh water in 2060 than is consumed today. Despite the great momentum, much work remains in the decades ahead to ensure reliable, sustainable water supplies to meet Oklahoma’s economic and quality of life goals.  Controversies abound when considering whether to protect water in streams and lakes for tourism, recreation and environmental needs. Will we step up and proactively address these difficult, yet necessary issues, or will we wait for tempestuous forces and costly litigation to dictate our future?

  • Race and Gender, Chouteau B – Kate Richey, Oklahoma Policy Institute

This session explores policy, past and present, affecting women and people of color in Oklahoma.  Violence, bias and disenfranchisement continue to narrow life choices and frustrate economic advancement.  Yet innovative equity movements, to expand access to opportunity for all Oklahomans and elevate our political consciousness, continue to move us forward.

Topic specialists will explore key issues and policy proposals in their area of expertise.

 12:15 – 1:30 – Lunch and Keynote Talk, Gallery

Keynote Speaker: Theda Skocpol, Harvard University, past President, American Political Science Association, “Partisan Conflict and the Implementation of Health Care Reform Nationally and in the States”

Breakout Sessions (See your breakout session assignments here.)

1:45 – 3:00 – Breakout Sessions #2 (Participants will select one of the four)

See morning breakout sessions for program description

The challenge of energy policy in Oklahoma is to balance competing priorities — meeting the needs of an industry that is crucial to our economy, collecting enough revenue to fund public services, protecting our natural environment, and keeping energy costs affordable for Oklahoma families. This session will discuss Oklahoma’s policy debates around drilling, taxes, electricity generation, and efficiency.

  • Race and Gender, Chouteau B – Kate Richey, Oklahoma Policy Institute

 3:15 – 4:30 – Presentation of interactive research projects, Gallery

 4:30: Concluding remarks and farewells, Gallery – OK Policy

 [Optional event

7:00 pm, Dr. Theda Skocpol will be giving a free public lecture, “Naming the Problem: Extremism and the Fight against Climate Change” on the TU Campus in Great Hall A of the Allen Chapman Activity Center]