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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 NewsOK investigation shared stories of some of the more than 50 people serving life without parole sentences in Oklahoma prisons for nonviolent drug offenses, the result of a harsh, three-strikes law enacted in the 1980s. Judges will be allowed to impose shorter sentences for some nonviolent crimes under a bill Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law Monday. Mental Health Courts, a highly successful alternative-to-incarceration program that has put millions of dollars back into the state economy, were honored at the state Capitol.
The U.S. Supreme Court asked for the Obama administration’s views on whether Oklahoma and Nebraska should be able to sue Colorado over its marijuana laws. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is in Washington to testify against federal clear air rules aimed at combating climate change. On the OK Policy Blog, we discussed what should be the next step now that Oklahoma has approved a law requiring doctors to check a prescription monitoring program before prescribing dangerous drugs.
A report by Stand for Children Oklahoma that survey teachers in the state found that morale is low due to overtesting, overcrowded classrooms, changing reforms, decreased classroom autonomy and a lack of representation in policy discussions. You can read the full report here. The state Department of Education is giving Oklahoma sixth graders the option to retake their state reading test due to an error in the instructions for the test. The okeducationtruths blog discussed what’s happening in the Legislature with Oklahoma’s high stakes third grade reading tests.
Leadership in the House, Senate and the governor’s office are said to be close to an agreement on the FY 2016 state budget. The Legislature approved a bill authorizing the state to buy expensive computer software to allow officials to quickly identify people filing fake tax returns. The Cherokee Nation opened a new clinic in Ochelata as part of an effort to put medical care within 30 miles of each of its citizens. Surveillance videos show juvenile vandals trashed six classrooms and tried setting the science lab on fire at an Islamic school in Tulsa.
The Number of the Day is 34% – the percentage of Oklahoma children living in single parent households. In today’s Policy Note, the Pew Charitable Trusts finds that Medicaid expansion has given a budget boost to participating states, mostly by allowing them to use federal money instead of state dollars to care for pregnant women, inmates, and people with mental illness, disabilities, HIV/AIDS, and breast and cervical cancer.
In The News
I will die in prison for a nonviolent crime
Kevin Ott drew his first strike when he was arrested for a small bag of methamphetamine in his pocket in 1993. A year later, authorities caught the self-described country boy from Okemah with marijuana plants growing at his home. That strike got him 15 months in prison. Still in his early 30s, Ott took strike three in 1996 when police found 31/2 ounces of meth in his home, enough for prosecutors to charge him with trafficking. His punishment: life without parole.
Oklahoma governor signs bill to give judges more discretion in sentencing
Judges will be allowed to impose shorter sentences for some nonviolent crimes under a bill Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law Monday. The Justice Safety Valve Act is a key part of the agenda to divert more offenders into alternative programs and away from long terms in the state’s overcrowded prisons.
Pontotoc County Mental Health Court among programs honored for achievements
A highly successful alternative-to-incarceration program that has put millions of dollars back into the state economy was in the spotlight recently at the state capitol. Twenty-five graduates of the state’s drug courts and mental health courts were honored at a commencement ceremony held April 15, including Pontotoc County Mental Health Court.
U.S. Supreme Court seeks Obama administration’s input on Oklahoma pot case against Colorado
The U.S. Supreme Court asked Monday for the Obama administration’s views on whether Oklahoma and Nebraska should be able to sue Colorado over its marijuana laws. The court sometimes asks the solicitor general — the president’s advocate before the U.S. Supreme Court — for input on a case justices potentially will hear. The Supreme Court has not decided whether to allow the lawsuit to move forward.
Amid disagreement with Gov. Mary Fallin, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is set to testify against clean air rule
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is set to testify here Tuesday against President Barack Obama’s climate change agenda, amid a high-level dispute in Oklahoma about the right tactics for resisting the administration’s rules. Pruitt will appear before a Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee about the requirement that states develop a plan for reducing carbon dioxide emissions at power plants.
Prescription monitoring bill is a good first step. It’s also not enough.
Last year, we argued that the legislature had missed an opportunity by punting on a bill that would have required doctors to check the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) before writing a prescription for some of the most dangerous drugs, to make sure patients were not “doctor-shopping” or showing signs of addiction. This year, legislators righted that wrong, and a bill requiring doctors to check the PMP, although on a narrower range of substances and on a looser schedule, was signed into law by Governor Fallin on March 31.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Report says Oklahoma teachers’ greatest concern is testing
A report released Monday by the education advocacy group Stand for Children Oklahoma outlines several concerns of teachers about the teaching environment as well as education reforms implemented in recent years. The report, “Oklahoma Teachers Matter: Listening Tour,” was based on four focus groups designed to identify barriers teachers face in the classroom, find possible solutions and discuss the effects of recent education reforms.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See the full report from Stand for Children Oklahoma.
Testing error allows Oklahoma 6th graders to retake reading test
The state Department of Education is giving Oklahoma sixth graders the option to retake their state reading test. Schools say there was an error in the instructions for the test, making it unclear that students were supposed to continue to the next section of the test. Districts say the confusion may have led to some students submitting incomplete tests. Many districts are allowing parents to call to schedule a retest.
Read Sufficiency: Don’t overthink this
In 2014, the Oklahoma Legislature did one of the smartest things I’ve seen from them in quite a while. They passed HB 2625, authored by Katie Henke. Then when Governor Fallin vetoed it, they quickly passed it again – overwhelmingly. This bill kept the heart of the third grade retention law – the Reading Sufficiency Act – in place, but correcting the fact that the retention decision was automatic and completely tied to the third grade reading test.
Read more from okeducationtruths.
Budget negotiators could see agreement this week, lawmaker says
The House, Senate and the governor’s office are said to be close to an agreement on the FY 2016 state budget, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee said Monday. State Rep. Earl Sears, R-Bartlesville, said he hoped to have an agreement by Friday. Although negotiators have said little publicly about what next year’s budget will look like, some details have emerged.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Oklahoma Senate passes bill to cut down on tax fraud
A bill that won final legislative approval Monday is intended to block thieves from stealing millions of dollars in state tax refunds. The Oklahoma Senate passed House Bill 2235 and sent it to Gov. Mary Fallin. It would authorize the state to buy computer software to allow officials to quickly identify people filing fake tax returns. The software costs between $500,000 and $1 million.
New Cherokee Nation health clinic opens in Ochelata
The Cherokee Nation’s newest clinic said saving lives doesn’t just happen in the exam room. The clinic doubles as a hub for healthcare and a shelter from the storm when severe weather strikes. The new Ochelata clinic is the front line of healthcare for the Cherokee Nation as the tribe tries to put medical care within 30 miles of each of its citizens.
Juveniles vandalize, start fire at Tulsa Islamic school
Tulsa Fire Department said a building fire at the Tulsa Islamic Center school has been ruled arson. The school is connected to the mosque located in a midtown Tulsa neighborhood near 51st and Yale. The principal, Zaheer Arastu, said surveillance videos show juvenile vandals trashed six classrooms, threw paper and paint down the hall, tried setting the science lab on fire and even broke specimens being preserved in formaldehyde.
Quote of the Day
“I have lived the last 19 years knowing I will die in prison for a nonviolent crime. I saw on the news last night where a man killed two women and their unborn children and will only do 25 years in prison. Where is the justice?”
-Kevin Ott, who was sentenced to life without parole in his early 30s for a nonviolent drug crime under Oklahoma’s harsh three-strikes law (Source)
Number of the Day
34%
Percent of Oklahoma children living in single parent households.
Source: 2015 County Health Rankings
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
States find savings through Medicaid expansion
Medicaid expansion has given a budget boost to participating states, mostly by allowing them to use federal money instead of state dollars to care for pregnant women, inmates, and people with mental illness, disabilities, HIV/AIDS, and breast and cervical cancer, according to two new reports. States that levy assessments and fees on health care providers, which have collected higher revenues as a result of expansion, have reaped extra benefits.
Read more from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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