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Today you should know that state officials are investigating the abrupt die-off of thousands of fish in the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in north-central Oklahoma. The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a 5-year reauthorization of the Farm Bill, largely due to members reacting against large and unprecedented cuts to food and nutrition programs for low-income Americans.
The state of Oklahoma moved forward with the argument that it has standing to bring a lawsuit against the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The state’s two largest universities will not raise tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students for the upcoming school year; OU proposed a new flat-rate tuition scheme, which aims to increase the number of four-year graduates by offering students more courses for the same price.
The OK Policy Blog reported on the Legislature’s failure to take meaningful action on numerous tax credits and deductions. The Number of the Day is the percentage of Oklahomans who report that they have not set aside money for their children’s college education. In today’s Policy Note, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation released the results of a state-by-state survey that compares the financial capabilities of Oklahomans with residents of other states and the nation as a whole.
In The News
‘Catastrophic’ fish kill along Arkansas River investigated
State wildlife and environmental officials are investigating a die-off of thousands of fish in the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in north-central Oklahoma. Kills were reported on June 4 and again on Monday. The die-off has spread downstream roughly 50 river miles from the initial report near Lamont to its confluence with the main channel of the Arkansas River, which is about seven miles south of Ponca City, according to Kay County Game Warden Spencer Grace, who is investigating the kill.
U.S. House rejects farm bill
In a stinging defeat to Rep. Frank Lucas, the House on Thursday rejected a five-year farm bill, as Democrats rebelled against cuts in the food stamp program and Republicans objected to spending on farm subsidies and nutrition aid. The bill’s failure, by a 195-234 vote, came after two days of divisive votes over the safety net for the nation’s farmers and the level of funding for the food stamp program, which has exploded in size in the past decade. The bill’s proposed $2 billion annual cuts to food stamps, formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, enraged Democrats, who lost an effort Wednesday to restore the money. Only 24 Democrats voted for the bill on Thursday, while 172 opposed it.
State says it has right to challenge Obamacare in federal court
The state of Oklahoma argued Thursday in a federal court hearing that it has standing to bring a lawsuit against the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In a hearing before U.S. District Judge Ronald White in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Solicitor General Patrick Wyrick said there has been injury to the state’s sovereignty and to its role as a large employer. Arguing on behalf of the federal government, Joel McElvain, senior trial counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice, said a policy dispute does not constitute harm and the state has not shown it has suffered any concrete injury.
OU, OSU may keep in-state tuition the same; OU proposes flat-rate plan
The state’s two largest universities are proposing not to raise tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students for the upcoming school year. The University of Oklahoma is also proposing implementing a flat-rate tuition and fees format for full-time undergraduate students taking 12 to 21 credit hours a semester – $7,340.50 a year. Oklahoma State University’s tuition and fees would remain at $7,441 for a 30 credit-hour year. OU’s proposed change to flat-rate tuition aims to increase the number of four-year graduates by encouraging students to save money by taking more courses for the same price.
After talk of reining in tax breaks, Oklahoma added more
Even as Governor Fallin and legislative leaders were patting themselves on the back for this year’s legislative session, one Republican lawmaker sounded a discordant note. Rep. David Dank, R-Oklahoma City, awarded the session a “C-minus at best,” saying it was “marked as much or more by what we failed to do than by what we actually achieved.” A large part of Rep. Dank’s discontent comes from the Legislature’s failure to take meaningful action on the numerous tax credits, deductions, and other loopholes that riddle the tax code.
Quote of the Day
“I’ve been working on this the last three days with DEQ and it’s been frustrating because so many miles of the river are dead now. There are no fish in the water, no gar, nothing.”
Spencer Grace, Kay County’s Game Warden, on an abrupt and ‘catastrophic’ die-off of thousands of fish in the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in north-central Oklahoma
Number of the Day
69 percent
Percentage of Oklahomans who report that they have not set aside money for children’s college education, compared to 63 percent nationally in 2013
Source: FINRA Investor Education Foundation
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Financial Capability Survey Shows Oklahomans are 3rd Worst in the Nation at Spending Less Than Income
The FINRA Investor Education Foundation today released the results of America’s State-by-State Financial Capability Survey, which revealed that Oklahomans are the 3rd worst in the nation at spending less than their income, and 32 percent reported that they had unpaid medical bills. The findings are part of the FINRA Foundation’s 2012 National Financial Capability Study, which explores in-depth how Americans manage their resources and make financial decisions. Researchers delve into and compare the financial capabilities of Oklahomans with residents of other states and the nation as a whole.
Read more from FINRA Investor Education Foundation
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