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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 Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones is resigning effective Oct. 1. Jones has clashed with lawmakers over a push to put more state inmates in private prisons and over flat budgets for the Department as it deals with a growing inmate population. The Supreme Court decision to strike down a voter registration law in Arizona will not affect the process in Oklahoma, which requires registrants to attest to U.S. citizenship but not provide documents proving their status. The OK Policy Blog discusses how the recently passed tax cut/capitol repairs law may have violated the state Constitution in multiple ways.
Although the state has made strides in its efforts to boost the number of residents with college degrees, Oklahoma still lags behind the national average. The heavy water usage of fracking by energy companies is affecting farmers in Oklahoma and other areas already suffering from droughts. The owner and operator of five power plants in Oklahoma as well as other sites around the country was listed as the nation’s worst greenhouse gas polluter. See the full polluters index from the Political Economy Research Institute here.
The Number of the Day is the number of months on average that low-income families receive cash assistance in Oklahoma. In today’s Policy Note, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows in one graph why smart states are taking measures to raise new revenues.
In The News
Oklahoma Department of Corrections director submits resignation
Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones is resigning effective Oct. 1. Jones made the announcement at a staff meeting Monday. His official last day is expected to be Aug. 16, followed by paid time off until his resignation effective date. Jones has run afoul of policy-makers who want to put more state inmates in private prisons. Also, the agency was given a standstill budget for fiscal year 2014 despite increased numbers of inmates, a large number of inmates backed up in county jails awaiting transport to prison, and a new criminal justice law that puts more requirements on the DOC.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma voter registration law survives U.S. Supreme Court decision
The Supreme Court decision to strike down a voter registration law in Arizona will not affect the process in Oklahoma, which requires registrants to attest to U.S. citizenship but not provide documents proving their status. In a 7-2 decision Monday, the high court ruled that Arizona could not add requirements for voting in federal elections — that is, for president and members of Congress — beyond what a federal form requires. Arizona required concrete proof of citizenship, but that requirement was struck down. Kansas, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee have similar requirements.
There they go again: Oklahoma lawmakers accused of “log rolling” HB 2032
When Gov. Fallin signed HB 2032 into law this past legislative session, Oklahoma Attorney Jerry Fent immediately promised that he would challenge the constitutionality of the law. In early June, Mr. Fent made good on his word and filed a Writ of Mandamus with the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He is petitioning the Court for declaratory and injunctive relief to block HB 2032. Fent presents two distinct arguments against HB 2032. The first is that HB2032 violates Article V Sec. 57 of the Oklahoma Constitution which states that “every act of the Legislature shall embrace but one subject.” Secondly, he argues that the bill failed to secure the three-fourths support in both legislative chambers that is required of revenue bills.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma makes strides in degree completion, but has more work to do, report shows
Although the state has made strides in its efforts to boost the number of residents with college degrees, Oklahoma still has a long way to go, according to a new report. The nonprofit Lumina Foundation released its report “A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education” last week. Oklahoma ranks 42nd in the nation in terms of degree completion, according to the report According to the report, 33 percent of Oklahoma adults ages 25-64 held a college degree in 2011, the most recent year for which data were available. Although that figure places Oklahoma behind the national average, it was an improvement over 2009, when 31.7 percent of Oklahoma adults held a college degree.
Colorado’s fracking woes show fight brewing in Oklahoma, Texas, and other drought-ridden areas
The latest domestic energy boom is sweeping through some of the nation’s driest pockets, drawing millions of gallons of water to unlock oil and gas reserves from beneath the Earth’s surface. Hydraulic fracturing, or the drilling technique commonly known as fracking, has been used for decades to blast huge volumes of water, fine sand and chemicals into the ground to crack open valuable shale formations. But now, as energy companies vie to exploit vast reserves west of the Mississippi, fracking’s new frontier is expanding to the same lands where crops have shriveled and waterways have dried up due to severe drought. In Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, the vast majority of the counties where fracking is occurring are also suffering from drought.
Read more from the Associated Press.
Oklahoma energy sites on list of nation’s worst polluters
The owner and operator of five power plants in Oklahoma as well as other sites around the country is listed as the nation’s worst polluter, according to the Political Economic Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The list of 100 ranks American Electric Power, AEP, as number one for harmful emissions. AEP is the owner of an electric-generating plant in Oologah as well as operations in Anadarko, Lawton, Tulsa and Weleetka. The Oologah plant is considered AEP’s worst offender in the state of Oklahoma. The U.S. Government is ranked 4th and includes Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.
Read more from Oklahoma Energy Today.
See also: Greenhouse 100 Polluters Index from Political Economy Research Institute
Quote of the Day
You know, just because it is legal doesn’t make it ethically and morally right for shareholders to make a profit off of incarceration of our fellow citizens. I guess with my Christian upbringing, there has always been a conflict with that.
-Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones, who has run afoul of policymakers who want to put more state inmates in private prisons. Jones announced his resignation yesterday (Source: http://bit.ly/14HGGtS).
Number of the Day
27
Number of months on average that low-income families receive cash assistance in Oklahoma, compared to 37 months nationally
Source: Community Action Project, 2009
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Why smart states are raising revenues, in one graph
Five years after the start of the Great Recession, state revenues remain 5 percent below pre-recession levels, after adjusting for inflation, even as the number of people needing state services has grown. So, it’s not surprising that more than a dozen states have enacted or are seriously considering revenue increases to begin reinvesting in schools, roads, and other important services and to make new investments in future economic growth.
Read more from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
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