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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.
Today you should know that Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon is stepping down from the company, citing “philosophical differences” between himself and the new board of directors. The 2013 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard ranks Oklahoma low for financial stability of its residents, with more than two in five having almost no savings for an emergency. Oklahoma faces an educational gap for new jobs that will take more vocational education as well as college to fill.
The state schools superintendent asked Oklahoma lawmakers to spend nearly $300 million more on public education in the upcoming fiscal year, and for an immediate influx of nearly $38 million to cover unfunded programs this fiscal year. Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon is working on a plan to sell off surplus state property to fund repairs to other buildings. The OK Policy Blog examines whether Oklahoma could run out of water.
The Tulsa World writes that Oklahoma should continue funding OETA at modest level. A repeated request by Oklahoma Lottery officials to change a state law that requires 35 percent of lottery earnings go to education didn’t get much support from a legislative panel. The idea for Oklahoma’s new States’ Rights Committee emerged at the conference of a controversial historian whose book was pulled from publication due to multiple inaccuracies.
The Number of the Day is how many years that Oklahoma Policy Institute has been providing data-driven information, analysis and ideas on state policy issues. In today’s Policy Note, Wonkblog shares the insanely confusing path to legal immigration to the US, in one chart.
In The News
Aubrey McClendon stepping down as Chesapeake Energy CEO
Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon will retire April 1, the company announced today. In a statement, McClendon cited “philosophical differences” between himself and the company’s new board of directors. McClendon will remain as CEO as the Oklahoma City natural gas giant searches for his successor. Chesapeake recently faced a shareholder revolt and board shakeup after reports surfaced questioning the intertwined finances of McClendon and the company, the country’s second-largest natural gas producer after Exxon Mobil. Some of Chesapeake’s land purchases have come into question, too, and the company’s financial dealings have been the subject of probes by federal and state investigators.
Read more from StateImpact Oklahoma.
Oklahoma ranks low in financial stability
The recession’s lingering effects have taken an enormous toll on Oklahoma families, as more than two in five state residents have almost no savings for an emergency, according to a report released Wednesday by the national nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development. The 2013 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard ranks Oklahoma 32nd for the financial stability of its residents, up one notch from 33rd last year. The scorecard offers a comprehensive look at Americans’ ability to save and build wealth, fend off poverty and create a more prosperous future. It evaluates all 50 states and the District of Columbia on how their residents fare in terms of achieving financial security across 53 measures in five areas.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma faces education gap for new jobs
Rosy unemployment rates aside, Oklahoma faces an educational gap for new jobs that will take more vocational education as well as college to fill. That’s one of several layers that labor specialist Deidre Myers peeled from workforce stats Tuesday at the annual Edmond Economic Preview. Myers, director of research, economic analysis and policy services for the state Commerce Department, was one of several speakers at the event, organized by the Edmond Economic Development Authority and First Fidelity Bank. Topsy-turvy State figures are just about upside down when it comes to workforce education and employers’ needs, Myers said, providing the numbers.
State superintendent asks for $300 million increase in education funding
The state schools superintendent Tuesday asked Oklahoma lawmakers to spend nearly $300 million more on public education in the upcoming fiscal year, and for an immediate influx of nearly $38 million to cover unfunded programs this fiscal year. State schools Superintendent Janet Barresi spoke before a joint budget subcommittee on education. She asked for $2.6 billion for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Last year, the state Education Department received about $2.3 billion. Barresi asked lawmakers to give the Education Department a $37.7 million supplemental appropriation to pay for programs that haven’t been fully funded this year.
Speaker says state should sell real estate to fund repairs
Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon is working on a plan to sell off surplus state property to fund repairs to other buildings, including the crumbling state Capitol. A recent report from the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services shows Oklahoma owns 6,910 buildings – more than any other entity in the state – and leases close to 1,000 more. Only the federal government owns more Oklahoma land than the state. The report shows that many of the properties are “underutilized,” which Shannon says is a signal they should be considered for sale, with the proceeds used to fund the most pressing maintenance needs of its other state buildings.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Could we run out of water?
Oklahoma City drinking water supplies are at record lows, and NewsOK recently reported that water rights could be the biggest issue for the city in 2013. Could Oklahoma run out of water? Possibly, in certain locations, according to the 2012 Water Plan Update by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB). The Water Plan Update warns that several factors will strain Oklahoma’s water resources by the year 2060 if current use and supply trends are maintained. Some of these factors include: population growth; overall demand increases of 33 percent; climate change; potential depletion of underground aquifers, and pollution concerns.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Tulsa World: State should continue OETA funding at modest level
Lawmakers are back at work, and once again thoughts turn to trimming or ending state funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority. Support for OETA in the Legislature clearly is waning, as state Sen. Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater, noted during joint Senate-House education budget hearings Monday. A growing number of lawmakers apparently believe that public television is not a core state service. OETA receives about $3.8 million a year in state funds, a modest appropriation that amounts to about a third of its budget. OETA Executive Director Dan Schiedel says that the appropriation works out to about $1 per year for each Oklahoma resident.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma lottery officials get little backing for proposal
A repeated request by Oklahoma Lottery officials to change a state law that requires 35 percent of lottery earnings go to education didn’t get much support Tuesday from a legislative panel. Rep. Sally Kern, chairman of a House of Representatives budget subcommittee on nonappropriated agencies, said she opposes the idea because it would encourage more people to gamble. Rollo Redburn, executive director of Oklahoma’s lottery, said eliminating or reducing the profit percentage to education would make prizes more competitive and as a result generate more money for education.
Concerns arise over state House committee designed to guard against federal government
The prerecorded message encourages listeners to dial a number to “hear more about God’s hand in America’s history.” Callers to David Barton’s WallBuilders ministry hear it while on hold. Barton, who holds a religion degree from Oral Roberts University, presents himself as an expert on America’s history, especially as it relates to religion and politics. State legislators in 2011 attended a WallBuilders conference in Texas for “pro-family” lawmakers. According to Rep. Lewis Moore, R-Arcadia, the idea for a States’ Rights Committee emerged from that gathering. Moore, who will chair the panel, said he approached House Speaker T. W. Shannon, R-Lawton, following the conference. “I asked the [then] speaker-elect if we could put the States’ Rights Committee together,” Moore said. “When it came time, he entrusted me with it.” Moore said the committee will be “nothing crazy.”
Read more from the Oklahoma Gazette.
Quote of the Day
People working full time can’t raise a family on the wages of most jobs, and this scorecard shows this. About one of every three jobs in Oklahoma is an occupation that pays below poverty wage.
–OK Policy analyst Kate Richey, on the 2013 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard that gave Oklahoma a ‘D’ grade for financial assets and income
Number of the Day
5
Number of years the Oklahoma Policy Institute has been providing data-driven information, analysis and ideas on state policy issues
Source: Oklahoma Policy Institute
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The insanely confusing path to legal immigration, in one chart
Congress and the White House have just begun exploring policies that would revamp the country’s immigration laws. A bipartisan group of senators have proposed a new pathway to citizenship Monday and, later Tuesday, President Obama is expected to unveil his own reform plan. Those are all ideas for the future – but what does our immigration system look like right now? A few years ago, Immigration Road put together this flowchart on how to gain a green card. While this likely does not make understanding our immigration system any easier, it does give a sense of how complicated the process is right now. Reason has put together a similar flowchart which shows how the process can take as many as 28 years to complete.
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