In The Know: Agency says Medicaid expansion could save state $47M

In The Know is a daily synopsis of Oklahoma policy-related news and blogs. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. E-mail your suggestions for In The Know items to gperry@okpolicy.org. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.

A state agency estimates it would save about $47.8 million a year if Oklahoma accepts an expansion of the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.  Governor Fallin considers a statewide burn ban.  A county emergency official reports that his office has been unable to make purchases for drought relief and management because of a lack of funds, including buying bottled water for firefighters battling blazes in the extreme heat.

District officials struggle to plan for a new year of student enrollment growth while uncertainties about school funding remain.  Former mayor Patrice Douglas took over as chair of the Corporation Commission.  Retailers and shoppers prepare for a sales tax-free weekend in Oklahoma.

A letter to the editor of the Washington Post asks why officials in Oklahoma accept federal funds in other areas, but seem hostile to health care dollars.  Income and sales tax revenues were up last month, but overall collections were hampered by declines in revenue from oil and gas production.

The Number of the Day is the percentage of wage and salary workers in Oklahoma that are union members.  In today’s Policy Note, the Center for American Progress looks at nine state efforts to reject contraceptive coverage laws.

In The News

Agency says action could save state $47M

Oklahoma could save about $47.8 million a year — mostly in the cost of serving poor mental health patients — if it accepts an expansion of the Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act, a state agency estimates.  Services now funded completely with state money would shift to Medicaid funding — allowing the state to either shift its tax money to other uses or magnify its ability to provide those services.  “I think it’s darn sure one of the selling points for accepting” the expansion, said Mental Health Association in Tulsa Executive Director Michael Brose.

Read more from the Tulsa World at http://newsok.com/agency-says-action-could-save-state-47m/article/3697651#ixzz22UMn17Wl

Governor Fallin: State-Wide Burn Ban Could Go Into Effect Soon

Governor Mary Fallin hinted that a state-wide burn ban could go into effect in the coming days.  She said her staff has been monitoring the weather outlook and would decide on what action to take, if any.  On Thursday, 53 counties in Oklahoma were under a mandatory burn ban, 24 were not.

Read more from News9 at http://www.news9.com/story/19183844/governor-fallin-state-wide-burn-ban-could-go-into-effect-soon

EM officials see no extra funds to ease heat problems

Fallin’s executive order reportedly allows state agencies to make “emergency purchases” related to disaster relief and preparedness, and is supposed to be the first step toward seeking federal assistance if it is needed, according to a press release.  But at the local level, officials see no financial assistance being offered by the state.  “There is no money right now,” Tahlequah-Cherokee County Emergency Management Director Gary Dotson said on Wednesday. “There was a meeting with the state office … and there’s no money at all available for any type of aid at this time.”

Read more from the Tahlequah Daily Press at http://tahlequahdailypress.com/local/x1402343092/EM-officials-see-no-extra-funds-to-ease-heat-problems

State aid shortfall keeps Oklahoma school budgets on shaky ground

The school budgeting process always involves some educated guesses, but this year, local district leaders say their guessing has turned into gambling.   Because the state Legislature allocated the same amount for state aid to schools as they received for last year, school officials were expecting similar dollar amounts in their initial state aid notices for 2012-13. But the Oklahoma State Department of Education withheld nearly $64 million, or 3.52 percent, of all state aid, compared to the $41 million, or 2.26 percent, it kept in reserve at the beginning of 2011-12 for anticipated growth, namely at virtual schools and new charter schools.

Read more from the Tulsa World at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=332&articleid=20120803_19_A1_CUTLIN522621

Former mayor becomes chair of Okla. Corp. Comm.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has a new chairperson.  Commissioner Patrice Douglas took over as chair of the three-member commission on Wednesday. She replaces the previous chairperson, Commissioner Dana Murphy. Douglas says her first priority is to create a strategic plan for the commission that regulates public utilities and oil and natural gas drilling and production. Douglas says the plan will help the commission prioritize its services and show the taxpayer where every dollar is going and how it’s being used to serve Oklahoma.

Read more from the Shawnee News Star at http://www.news-star.com/news/x1412421152/Former-mayor-becomes-chair-of-Okla-Corp-Comm

A tax-free spree

Summer vacation for area students is winding down, and with that comes the task – and expense – of shopping for new clothing.  Next weekend’s sales tax holiday will help those looking to save a little money on clothing items needed for school, work or whatever fashion desire can be met.  In 2007, the Oklahoma Legislature passed Senate Bill 861 to benefit consumers and retailers by providing three days of sales-tax exempt shopping. The tax holiday was designed to help businesses by providing a boost to the local economy, while the consumer receives the benefit of saving money when shopping for clothes and shoes.

Read more from the Tahlequah Daily Press at http://tahlequahdailypress.com/local/x1962234859/A-tax-free-spree

No to health-care funds, yes to farm subsidies

As an Oklahoma native, I am always interested in articles on my home state, especially if an article happens to be above the fold on the front page of The Post [“In Oklahoma, hostile climate for a mandate,” July 30].  As the article stated, Oklahoma is “a conservative state with an independent streak and a disdain for the strong arm of government.” The Republican governor has (with fanfare, I’m certain) turned away $54 million to help the state plan for implementing the Affordable Care Act.

Read more from the Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/no-to-health-care-funds-yes-to-farm-subsidies/2012/08/02/gJQAbbqaSX_story.html

Okla. income, sales taxes push July revenue up

Oklahoma’s state treasurer says revenue collections were up last month, thanks to increases in income and sales tax receipts.  Treasurer Ken Miller said Thursday total revenue collections by the state in July were aided by a double-digit jump in income tax collections. But Miller says overall collections were hampered by declines in revenue from oil and gas production.

Read more from the Associated Press at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57485668/okla-income-sales-taxes-push-july-revenue-up/

Quote of the Day

“There is no money right now.  There was a meeting with the state office … and there’s no money at all available for any type of aid at this time.”

Gary Dotson, Tahlequah-Cherokee County Emergency Management Director on the need for emergency purchases to manage the drought, including water for firefighters battling blazes in the extreme heat

Number of the Day

6.4 percent

Percentage of wage and salary workers in Oklahoma that are union members, compared with 11.8 percent nationally, 2011

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

See previous Numbers of the Day here.

Policy Note

State Efforts to Reject Contraceptive Coverage Laws on Religious Grounds

On August 1, 2012, a provision of President Barack Obama’s health care law, the Affordable Care Act, will go into effect—one that guarantees coverage in new health plans of a range of preventive services for women, including contraception, with no co-pays or other cost-sharing. Because some religions object to contraception, the Obama administration created an exemption for houses of worship that do not want to provide contraceptive coverage to their employees.

Read more from the Center for American Progress at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/07/state_contraception.html

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