OKPOLICY.ORG
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 with an early fundraising reporting deadline near, few strong Democratic candidates are emerging to take on Gov. Mary Fallin and other high-ranking Republican incumbents. A lesbian couple challenging Oklahoma’s ban on gay marriages say the U.S. Supreme Court has bolstered their arguments that the state prohibition is unconstitutional. Senators Tom Ivester and Clark Jolley published op-eds in the Tulsa World to offer different perspectives on whether Oklahoma should create term limits for judges or change how they are appointed.
A national evaluation of teacher-preparation programs found that Oklahoma has some of the highest-performing as well as some of the lowest-performing programs in the nation. Proceeds from the Oklahoma Lottery going to education exceeded projections by $12 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30. Oklahoma City Public Schools said their funding is still down about $5.6 million from 2009 while the number of students in the district has increased by more than 4,000 kids.
The OK Policy Blog shared maps showing the geography of race and poverty in Oklahoma City and Tulsa from 1980 to 2010. he Oklahoma Department of Human Services announced a reorganization and several personnel changes. Oklahoma Watch charted the growth of private prisons in Oklahoma since 2008.
In the Oklahoma Gazette, Rev. Jonalu Johnstone writes that its time for state officials to acknowledge that the Affordable Care Act is law and to help Oklahomans learn more about it so we can make informed decisions about our health care. Sen. Tom Coburn said that Republicans calling for a government shutdown over the health care reform law couldn’t design a bill that would successfully strip the funding.
The Number of the Day is the unemployment rate for Oklahomans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In today’s Policy Note, economist Spencer England shows that the data does not support the argument that the Affordable Care Act is causing a significant shift of employees from full-time to part-time.
In The News
Big-name Oklahoma Democrats missing from 2014 elections
Three years after a Republican steamroll flipped all of Oklahoma’s statewide elected offices to the GOP, few strong Democratic candidates are emerging to take on Gov. Mary Fallin and other high-ranking Republican incumbents. A key deadline to file campaign finance reports ahead of the 2014 elections is Wednesday, and there hasn’t been much movement by higher-profile Democrats. Most of those on the party’s already thin political bench in Oklahoma appear to be taking a pass next year.
Read more from the Associated Press.
Couple argues Supreme Court decision bolsters case against Oklahoma gay marriage ban
A lesbian couple challenging Oklahoma’s ban on gay marriages say the U.S. Supreme Court has bolstered their arguments that the state prohibition is unconstitutional. The lawsuit against the Oklahoma ban was filed in federal court in Tulsa in 2004 and has been stalled for more than a year as same-sex marriage cases from other states moved toward consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court’s decision on the federal Defense of Marriage Act has sparked a flurry of activity in the Oklahoma case in the past two weeks, as the attorney for the couples has pushed U.S. District Judge Terence Kern to issue rulings.
Clark Jolley: Reform judicial selection
Our nation’s founders were wise to craft a Constitution that balanced the powers of the branches of government. Their brilliance in allowing the president to select all federal judges with U.S. Senate confirmation has served this country well for more than 200 years. Most of our surrounding states also have adopted this method of judicial selection. Once again, Oklahoma is behind.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Tom Ivester: Maintain independence of state judiciary
The difference between fair criticism of judges and intimidation is a serious one. Everyone in the United States has a right to blame, condemn and denounce court decisions. This right is protected in the First Amendment. However, directed critique meant to suppress a judge or influence a decision is against the rule of law and an independent judiciary.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Speaker says quality of Oklahoma’s teaching schools varies widely
The leader of a controversial and unprecedented evaluation of teacher-preparation programs throughout the country spoke Monday in Tulsa. Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said that teacher-training programs at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and East Central University in Ada were flagged as among the lowest-performing programs in the nation. But programs at Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Oklahoma landed on the review’s honor roll for being rated among the highest 9 percent of all evaluated schools.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Lotter contribution to Oklahoma education higher than expected
The head of the Oklahoma Lottery says proceeds for education exceeded projections by $12 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30. Oklahoma Lottery Executive Director Rollo Redburn announced Monday the lottery’s total contribution to the state was $70.1 million over the year. That’s more than the projected $57.5 million. Redburn said it was the fourth consecutive fiscal year that total collections outpaced projections, including $12.4 million more than the estimate in the 2012 fiscal year.
State funding struggle for Oklahoma City Public Schools
Oklahoma City Public Schools will be back in session in less than a week. The state legislature boasts about the increase to educational funding. But there is a struggle to do more with less in the state’s largest school district. A hundred million dollars sounds like a lot but for Oklahoma City, state’s largest school district that continues to grow with the addition of 672 students next year. Since 2009, state funding for Oklahoma City Public School is still down about $5.6 million while the number of students in the district steadily grew by more than 4,000 kids.
The changing map of poverty and race in Oklahoma
Previously on this blog, we’ve discussed Oklahoma’s long history of high poverty and the reasons for its persistence. That’s not to say that we haven’t made progress, or that the face of poverty in Oklahoma today is identical to what it was in the past. An interactive map by the Urban Institute’s MetroTrends project helps reveal what has changed and what hasn’t.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma Department of Human Services announces reorganization
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services will use an assistant attorney general as its new general counsel as part of a reorganization of the agency. Ronald Baze will remain an employee of the attorney general while heading the DHS legal staff. This is a change from the past when the general counsel for DHS worked directly for that agency. Baze will serve under contract with DHS and work out of the Sequoyah Memorial Office Building where central DHS offices are located.
Private prison growth
At the July Oklahoma Department of Corrections board meeting, officials announced the approval of moving 310 more Oklahoma inmates to the Cimarron Correctional Facility, a private prison in Cushing. The move was just the latest in a recent shift of state inmates to three private prisons in Oklahoma. Since July 2008, the number of Oklahoma inmates in private prisons has grown by 32 percent, from 4,264 to 5,625 in July 2013.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Time to inform, not denounce
Our Oklahoma officials don’t shy from grandstanding complaints about the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Attorney General Scott Pruitt continues his futile attempt to have it declared unconstitutional. Gov. Mary Fallin refuses to accept our tax dollars back from Washington, D.C., to cover Oklahomans most in need of health coverage. Insurance Commissioner John Doak calls the ACA a “disaster,” and although his agency has received a federal grant to inform citizens, little seems to be happening to do so. If state officials put as much energy into educating the public about the ACA as they do into denouncing it, folks might understand the law.
Read more from the Oklahoma Gazette.
Sen. Tom Coburn says Obamacare can’t be stripped of funding
Sen. Tom Coburn, citing a memo from Congress’ research arm, said Tuesday that Republicans calling for a government shutdown over the health care reform law couldn’t design a bill that would successfully strip the funding. Coburn, R-Muskogee, received a memo Tuesday from the Congressional Research Service saying most provisions of the health care reform law likely could be implemented even if Republicans interrupt the funding stream and shut down the government.
Quote of the Day
If state officials put as much energy into educating the public about the [Affordable Care Act] as they do into denouncing it, folks might understand the law.
Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, program minister for OKC’s First Unitarian Church (Source: http://bit.ly/16D7Gtv)
Number of the Day
8.5%
Unemployment rate for Oklahomans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, compared to 5.2% state unemployment overall in 2012
Source: Joint Economic Committee
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Obamacare and Employment
If you listen to CNBC or read right wing blogs you would think that the Obamacare regulations that require large employers — over 50 full time equivalent employees –to provide their employees insurance or pay a penalty is leading to a massive shifting of employees from full time to part time. CNBC is constantly interviewing business owners who say they are shifting time workers from full time to part time. It makes for a logical argument, but the data does not support it.
See more from the Angry Bear Blog.
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
