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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. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
The state House passed a bill to prevent officials in towns, cities and municipalities from banning oil and gas drilling. It now returns to the Senate. House minority leader Scott Inman (D – Del City) spoke against the bill, describing it as a loss of local control. The Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma called for greater political will to fix the state’s mental health crisis. On the OK Policy Blog, we explained what critics of our poll showing that most Oklahomans don’t want a tax cut got wrong. Most Oklahomans say the state has cut the state income tax too much or just the right amount, and that Oklahoma is not spending enough on education funding.
Attorneys for the family of the man killed by a Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy are demanding the results of a prior internal investigation into the deputy. The judge assigned to the case is considering recusing himself due to prior ties to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office. A national report confirmed that Oklahoma has seen the US’s largest increase in earthquakes triggered by human activity. The state Board of Education delayed a vote to approve a contract with the state Attorney General’s office for legal service. The legal conflict over festivalgoers bringing firearms to the Norman Music Festival will likely extend to the city’s other outdoor events.
Tulsa has seen a three-year decline in its chronically homeless population, but the number of situationally homeless has increased 50 percent since 2008. Oklahoma Watch reported that many of the state’s nursing homes require residents or their families to submit to binding arbitration as a condition to being admitted, despite the fact that such agreements violate state law. Cherokee Principal Chief Bill John Baker says that the fifty bison brought to Oklahoma by a program that takes extra bison from national parks and places them with tribes throughout the US are doing well, and have nine calves.
The Number of the Day is 8.6 miles – the typical commute for Oklahoma City metro residents. The typical commute for residents of the Tulsa metro is 8.0 miles. In today’s Policy Note, CityLab examines a new index that measures well-being in the US’s 435 congressional districts, plus Washington DC, based on measurements of life expectancy, access to knowledge, and standard of living.
In The News
Oklahoma House Advances Anti-Frack Ban Bill
The Oklahoma House on Wednesday voted 64-32 in approving legislation that would prevent officials in towns, cities and counties from banning oil and gas drilling and related production. The measure, authored by Senate Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, is one of several bills lawmakers proposed during the 2015 legislative session to limit municipal authority over the oil and gas industry.
Oklahoma House’s Top Democrat Decries Loss of Local Control
The Oklahoma House’s top Democrat says his caucus was disappointed by passage of a Republican-backed bill that prohibits cities and towns from regulating oil and natural gas drilling operations. House Democrat Leader Scott Inman of Del City said Thursday that members of the House minority caucus believe local communities and their leaders should have authority to regulate the drilling operations in their areas.
Read more from Public Radio Tulsa.
For true mental health reform, Oklahoma needs political leadership, advocate says
The staff member stood before his colleagues, thanking them for their support as he returned to work following substance abuse treatment. He had asked that day to share his story during a staff meeting at the Mental Health Association Oklahoma office.
Yes, most Oklahomans don’t want a tax cut
OK Policy recently commissioned a scientific poll that showed a majority of Oklahoma voters oppose going forward with a tax cut at a time when the state is looking at a $611 million budget shortfall and lawmakers are planning more cuts to education and almost every other core public service. The poll shows that while just 27 percent of Oklahoma voters think the state has not cut taxes enough, a whopping 74 percent think Oklahoma is not spending enough on education.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
See also: New poll: Majority of Oklahomans favor halting tax cut amid budget shortfall from the OK Policy Blog.
Attorneys demand Tulsa County sheriff release report on 2009 investigation of reserve deputy
Attorneys for the family of the man slain when a Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy mistook a gun for a Taser demanded the results of a prior internal investigation into the deputy, according to a statement released Thursday. A CBS News report Wednesday night alleged that a 2009 internal investigation by the Sheriff’s Office showed that reserve deputy and insurance company executive Robert Bates received preferential treatment from high-ranking officers and proof that he received proper training as a reserve was “questionable.”
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Judge in Case of Shooting by Deputy Considers Stepping Aside
A judge who is assigned to the case of a volunteer deputy accused of manslaughter in the shooting of a suspect who was being restrained is considering recusing himself because of his ties to the Tulsa County sheriff’s office. The judge, James Caputo, said that he worked for the sheriff’s office for about seven years and that his daughter was an employee there.
Read more from The New York Times.
National report confirms that Oklahoma is at greater risk of human-induced earthquakes
Oklahoma features prominently in a new report on the risk of manmade earthquakes, with parts of the state shaking more often than quake-prone California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Scientists have identified 17 areas across eight states with increased rates of “induced seismicity,” or earthquakes triggered by human activity.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
State Board of Education delays vote on contract with Attorney General’s Office
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Thursday refused to approve a contract with the Attorney General’s Office for legal service, instead voting to table the item until next month’s regular meeting. The vote came after a 45-minute discussion with Assistant Attorney General Jan Preslar, who told the board that the AG’s Office does not approve of outside legal contracts for boards if the office can provide the needed services.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma gun ban issue will continue after Norman Music Festival ends
Licensed handgun carriers can bring their firearms with them to the Norman Music Festival. A temporary restraining order issued last week remains in place, prohibiting the city and organizers of the Norman Music Festival from enforcing a no-gun policy Saturday during the outdoor portion of the music festival.
Number of chronically homeless in Tulsa declines for third straight year
Tulsa has had a three-year decline in its number of chronically homeless, according to the Tulsa City-County Continuum of Care Point-in-Time Survey completed in 2015. Meanwhile, the number of situationally homeless has continued to increase, up 50 percent from the count done in 2008, the latest study found.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Price of Admission to Nursing Homes: No Lawsuits
In the summer of 2013, Pearl Wolf, 93, got sick and went to the hospital. After watching her health decline, her family decided to place Wolf in a nursing home. The family decided to place Wolf in Rose Manor in Shawnee. Located near Wolf’s house, the facility accepted Medicaid and Medicare patients and Whited considered its staff excellent. The family hoped Wolf would get well enough to return home.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Cherokee Bison Herd Grows
Springtime has brought several new residents to the Cherokee Nation. Six months ago, the Intertribal Buffalo Council brought 50 bison to Oklahoma from North and South Dakota. Cherokee Principal Chief Bill John Baker said they’re doing very well.
Read more from Public Radio Tulsa.
Quote of the Day
“One thing I’ve learned here in Oklahoma is: If you need a bed in a jail cell, there’s always one available. But you can’t get a treatment bed just because you need one today.”
– A Mental Health Association of Oklahoma (MHAO) staff member, speaking to his colleagues on his first day back to work following substance abuse treatment, as related by MHAO Executive Director Mike Brose (Source)
Number of the Day
8.6 miles
Typical commute for Oklahoma City metro residents. The typical commute for the Tulsa metro is 8.0 miles.
Source: Governing.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The Geography of Well-Being
Economic growth has long been the basic metric through which we evaluate economic and social progress. But a growing number of policymakers and experts argue that we need a better way to measure “well being.” In a report released today, the Social Science Research Council’s Measure of America project takes a crack at it with their own metric. Inspired by the UN’s influential Human Development Index for nations, their American Human Development Index develops measures of well-being for America’s 435 congressional districts (plus Washington, D.C.).
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