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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.
A powerful painkiller linked to hundreds of prescription drug overdose deaths in Oklahoma recently dropped from its spot as the drug most prescribed to state Medicaid patients. A House committee approved legislation allowing terminally ill patients access to medications that have received preliminary approval from the Food and Drug Administration but are not yet on pharmacy shelves. State Sen. Greg Treat said one of the most embarrassing things for Oklahoma is that the state still does not have an accredited Office of Chief Medical Examiner. We previously discussed how problems at the Medical Examiner’s Officer are a clear result of Oklahoma’s chronic underfunding of public services.
In the Journal Record, David Blatt discussed how the proliferation of tax cuts and tax breaks have contributed to the state’s current $611 million budget hole. On the OK Policy Blog, we gave an overview of Oklahoma’s Rainy Day Fund and how it might be used to help close the budget hole. Oklahoma would add its name to the list of states calling for a national constitutional convention under a resolution adopted Wednesday by the House Rules Committee. We previously discussed how a constitutional convention could destabilize the entire nation and radically rework the Constitution.
Judges would be allowed to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders under a proposed law that passed out of a state House committee Wednesday. The same committee narrowly passed a measure that would make fines and sentences for cattle theft steeper than they are for aggravated assault. A Tulsa man given a life sentence at 13-years-old for a murder in which he was not the shooter has been released on parole after 17 years in prison.
A Senate panel passed a measure that could lead to replacing end-of-instruction exams with the ACT. A Tulsa Regional Chamber spokeswoman said that a rash of controversial bills being heard at the Capitol has the rest of the nation thinking Oklahoma is backward and is hurting our business climate. Tulsa World columnist Ginnie Graham discussed how a House committee hearing on a bill to protect conversion therapy included false statistics and made no mention of the overwhelming consensus among professionals in the medical, mental health and social work fields that the therapy can harm a child psychologically.
Oklahoma banks boosted profits by 10 percent in 2014, earning a record $1.3 billion even as the number of banks in the state continues to decrease. In a quarterly report, Chesapeake Energy revealed that the company won’t be drilling as much in 2015 due to lower energy prices and plans to slash spending by more than $2 billion. A House committee approved a bill that would allow counties to levy a severance tax on rock, sand, gravel, granite and limestone mining operations if approved by a vote of the people. A bill to limit eminent domain seizures in Oklahoma has been withdrawn amid concerns it would threaten plans for a major electricity transmission project connecting state wind farms to consumers in the South and on the East Coast.
The Number of the Day is amount awarded to 17 Oklahoma health centers from a 2015 grant program under the Affordable Care Act. In today’s Policy Note, the New York Times shows how Obamacare is working to make health care affordable for tens of millions of Americans.
In The News
Hydrocodone no longer No. 1 drug prescribed to Oklahoma’s Medicaid patients
A powerful painkiller linked to hundreds of prescription drug overdose deaths in Oklahoma recently dropped from its spot as the drug most prescribed to state Medicaid patients. Hydrocodone-acetaminophen — better known as Lortab, Vicodin or NorCo — held the top spot for more than five years. Leaders at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority attribute the drop in the painkiller’s popularity to recent changes in state and federal guidelines that make it more burdensome to prescribe.
Oklahoma ‘Right To Try’ measure approved by House committee
An Oklahoma House committee has approved legislation allowing terminally ill patients access to medications that have received preliminary approval from the Food and Drug Administration but are not yet on pharmacy shelves. The House Public Health Committee voted 10-0 Wednesday for the Oklahoma Right to Try Act and sent it to the full House for consideration. Oklahoma is among 29 states considering similar bills, which have already been approved in five states.
Oklahoma Lawmaker: Medical Examiner Revamp Incomplete
State Sen. Greg Treat said one of the most embarrassing things for Oklahoma is that the state still does not have an accredited Office of Chief Medical Examiner. The state needs to finish improvements to the ME’s office, he said. The ME’s office lost its accreditation with the National Association of Medical Examiners in 2009 and fired two chief medical examiners in two years. The association issued a report noting the deficiencies result from an inadequate staff due to a lack of funding. Also, the agency’s equipment and facilities are obsolete.
Read more from the Times-Record.
See also: Getting what we pay for from the OK Policy Blog
Double whammy
For anyone trying to understand how Oklahoma has ended up with a $611 million budget hole, the state’s sagging economy only tells part of the story. Misguided policies, including the proliferation of tax cuts and tax breaks, have also left the state straining to meet its basic needs. Well before the economy faltered, the state budget was struggling. We’ve cut our income tax by more than $1 billion. Another tax cut is scheduled to kick in this year despite the shortfall. The tax break for horizontal drilling will cost more than $400 million this year alone, while other tax preferences proliferate.
Read more from the Journal Record.
Rainy Day Fund 101
With the state now facing a massive budget shortfall, attention has turned to tapping the Rainy Day Fund to close a portion of the gap. This post gives an overview of the Rainy Day Fund and how it might be used to help close Oklahoma’s current budget hole. The bottom line is that of the $535 million currently in the Fund, up to just under 5/8ths, or $325.5 million, could be appropriated for next year.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma House committee backs national constitutional convention for balanced budget
Oklahoma would add its name to the list of states calling for a national constitutional convention to consider a balanced budget amendment under a resolution adopted Wednesday by the state House of Representatives’ Rules Committee. House Joint Resolution 1018, by Rep. Gary Banz, R-Oklahoma City, attempts to invoke a “convention of the states” under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. No such convention has ever been convened, largely because of fear of unintended consequences.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: The con-con con from the OK Policy Blog.
Two sentence reform bills pass out of state House committee
Judges would be allowed to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders under a proposed law that passed out of a state House committee Wednesday. House Bill 1518, by Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, would give judges the authority to hand down shorter sentences, even for crimes that require a minimum amount of prison time, if they feel the sentence would be unjust or if the offender does not present a risk to public safety.
Under bill, tougher fines, penalty for cattle rustling than assault
Oklahoma’s House Criminal Justice and Corrections committee narrowly passed a measure Wednesday that would make fines and sentences for cattle theft steeper than they are for aggravated assault. House Bill 1387, authored by freshman Rep. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, would assess fines at three times the value of the animal or equipment stolen and set a prison sentence of up to 15 years for those convicted of the crime.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Tulsa man given life sentence at 13-years-old released on parole
David and Lindsay Burnett’s boys made the signs in December, hopeful and eager to see Jesil Wilson home before Christmas: “We (heart) U Jesil! God is good!” Christmas came and went. Wilson remained in prison. Now 32, Jesil Wilson has spent more than half his life behind bars. He was convicted of first-degree murder for a 1997 Tulsa killing in which he was not the shooter.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
End-of-instruction exams could be replaced under bill backed by Senate panel
A Senate panel on Wednesday passed a measure that could lead to the abolishing of end-of-instruction exams. But a few lawmakers said it could lead to the teaching of Common Core standards, which were repealed last year. Senate Education Chairman John Ford, R-Bartlesville said the measure could lead to the elimination of the end-of-instruction exams and have it replaced with something such as the ACT, which many colleges use in determining if a student will be admitted.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Controversial bills giving Oklahoma a black eye, Tulsa Regional Chamber says
A rash of controversial bills being heard at the Capitol has the rest of the nation thinking Oklahoma is backward, says Skye McNiel, a Tulsa Regional Chamber spokeswoman. Those bills range from a proposal to abolish AP history courses in public schools to several bills targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Oklahomans. Tulsa Regional Chamber representatives said it is important that the state accept diversity to attract businesses.
See more from the Tulsa World.
Conversion therapy law misses facts, opinions from the mainstream
I couldn’t help but listen to the 40-minute discussion from Tuesday among lawmakers about conversion therapy, which refers to practices to change people from gay to straight. It’s also known as reparative therapy, ex-gay therapy and sexual orientation change efforts. In many communities, it’s also known as psychological abuse. The predominance of academic literature and horror stories about the physical and psychological damage in the conversion movement has led to other states banning these practices.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma banks have record year in 2014
Oklahoma banks boosted profits by 10 percent in 2014, earning a record $1.3 billion even as the number of banks in the state continues to decrease, according to figures released Tuesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The improvement in earnings has been accompanied by a consolidation in the industry in Oklahoma. The number of FDIC-insured institutions in Oklahoma has fallen from 362 in 1994 to 221 last year.
Chesapeake increases yearly profits, slashes 2015 budget
Chesapeake Energy won’t be drilling as much in 2015 due to lower energy prices. The company revealed the production cuts within the pages of its 2014 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results release on Wednesday. Chesapeake signaled a reduction in its rig count and capital spending this year. Slashing capital budgets means a reduction of spending from $6.7 billion last year to $4 to $4.5 billion this year.
Read more from OK Energy Today.
Oklahoma House Panel Advances Natural Mineral Severance Tax
A bill aimed at authorizing counties to levy a severance tax on mining operations on nonrenewable resources if approved by a vote of the people has passed out of a House committee. House Bill 1775, by state Rep. Charles McCall, would allow counties to address the severance of the nonrenewable resources of rock, sand, gravel, granite and limestone. Under current law, these particular minerals grant no financial benefit to the counties where they are produced due to the structure of our state’s sales tax compounded by the fact that so much of these materials are sold outside of the state with no benefit to Oklahoma.
Read more from the Times-Record.
Oklahoma Bill Targeting Major Wind Project Withdrawn
A bill to redefine public utilities in Oklahoma has been withdrawn amid concerns it would threaten plans for a major electricity transmission project connecting state wind farms to consumers in the South and on the East Coast. Republican Rep. Todd Thomsen of Ada withdrew his bill from consideration after members of the House Utilities Committee complained it would threaten the Plains & Eastern Clean Line.
Quote of the Day
“It’s an absolute shame that we let [the Medical Examiner’s office] get in that condition. That is emblematic of what we’ve done in state government since statehood. We have built things. We have not maintained them, and we have just waited until a crisis.”
– State Sen. Greg Treat, R-OKC, speaking about the state’s Office of Medical Examiner, which has not been accredited since 2009 and has inadequate staff and obsolete equipment due to lack of funding (Source)
Number of the Day
$351,319
Amount awarded to 17 Oklahoma health centers under the Affordable Care Act’s Health Center Quality Improvement FY 2015 Grant Awards.
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
For Tens of Millions, Obamacare Is Working
Ever since President Obama unveiled his health care plan in 2009, critics have questioned its lofty promise to bring affordable health insurance to millions of Americans. Now statistics for the second year are largely in hand and the verdict is indisputable: Its disastrous 2013 rollout notwithstanding, the Affordable Care Act has achieved nearly all of its ambitious goals. Most important, just three key provisions — creation of exchanges with subsidies for those who qualify, expansion of Medicaid and minimum standards for insurance plans — have benefited at least 31 million Americans.
Read more from The New York Times.
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