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Oklahoma legislative committees approved separate $25 million bond proposals to complete the unfinished American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City and build the proposed Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture in Tulsa. Gun rights advocates are seeking to get the Legislature to override Gov. Fallin’s veto of a bill that restricts businesses from banning guns at parks, fairgrounds and recreational areas.
After a coalition asked for a moratorium on the use of injection wells that are linked to Oklahoma’s earthquake surge, Governor Fallin responded with a copy of an editorial from The Oklahoman defending the state’s response to earthquakes. Oklahoma economists said there are signs that the downturn in oil prices and drilling activity will not last long.
The executive director of the state Pardon and Parole Board has resigned after just six weeks at the agency. The board has faced public criticism for their unwillingness to recommend parole for most offenders. Slate examined how death penalties across the country are being pursued in just a few isolated counties — former Oklahoma County district attorney Bob Macy sent 54 people to death row before retiring in 2001, but over the past five years, Oklahoma County has had only one death sentence.
The New York Times reported that Moore, Oklahoma has gone far beyond any other city in the nation in adopting tornado-resistant building codes. On the OK Policy Blog, Steven Goldman discussed how the latest enrollment data shows Oklahomans are actively using the Affordable Care Act to get health insurance. The Blue Bell corporation and state agencies in Texas and Oklahoma announced a voluntary agreement to institute safeguards before resuming ice cream production, following the discovery of listeria bacteria in its products.
Tulsa-area pediatricians are joining a campaign to encourage parents to read, talk, and sing more to their children to close early literacy gaps. Students attending one of Oklahoma’s four-year public colleges or universities paid $1,192 extra in tuition this year compared to 2008, according to a report released this week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The report found that Oklahoma has cut state funding for higher education by $2,251 per student, or 23.5 percent, since 2008. The Number of the Day is 10,105 students – the drop in enrollment at Oklahoma colleges and universities over the past year, a decrease of 5.5% between Spring 2014 and Spring 2015.
In The News
Oklahoma legislative committees pass $25 million bond plans for Indian and cultural museums
Oklahoma legislative committees Thursday approved separate $25 million bond proposals to complete the unfinished American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City and build the proposed Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture in Tulsa. Both measures now move to the full House and Senate for consideration.
Read more from the Associated Press.
Veto override attempt considered after Gov. Fallin rejects gun bill
One year ago, Oklahoma legislators completed their first override of a veto from Gov. Mary Fallin. They were able to negate her decision on a bill involving firearms. Advocates for gun rights are hoping history will repeat itself. They are encouraging lawmakers to override a veto Fallin delivered Monday on Senate Bill 41, which sought to restrict businesses from banning guns at parks, fairgrounds and recreational areas.
Governor issues non-statement comment on injection well moratorium
Three days after a coalition of environmentalists asked Governor Mary Fallin to declare a moratorium on the use of injection wells suspected of causing Oklahoma’s earthquake surge, and she has yet to respond publicly. However, the Governor’s office has come out with something of a statement— a copy of an editorial opinion from the editors of The Oklahoman in Thursday’s edition. The governor’s email made no statement or comment about the opinion and let the editorial do the talking—-so to speak.
Read more from OK Energy Today.
A different path to recovery in the oil patch
Even in an industry as notoriously cyclical as oil and gas, downturns don’t always look the same. Facing the current industry decline, the oil and natural gas companies can learn lessons from previous recessions, but there also are many differences. One difference between the current and most recent downturn is found in the way the industry approached plans for future drilling.
Oklahoma Parole Board chief resigns after just six weeks on the job
The executive director of the state Pardon and Parole Board quietly resigned Monday after just six weeks at the agency. The board has faced public criticism based on their unwillingness to recommend parole for most offenders, especially those serving time for violent crimes. Nearly all the board members have ties to the Oklahoma City Police Department or former Oklahoma County District Attorney Bob Macy.
America’s deadliest prosecutors
Even in states that continue its use, capital prosecutions are being pursued in only a few isolated counties. What distinguishes these counties from neighbors that have mostly abolished the death penalty, in fact if not in law? Perhaps the biggest factor is the presence of a handful of disproportionately deadly prosecutors who represent the last, desperate gasps of a deeply flawed punishment regime. Bob Macy sent 54 people to Oklahoma’s death row before retiring in 2001. Over the past five years, Oklahoma County has had only one death sentence.
An Oklahoma suburb, tornado-ready
Sometimes it appears as if there is a target hanging over Moore, Okla.: Storms seem to find it. Although the city was spared last week as tornadoes swept nearby, overturning cars and destroying dozens of homes, Moore hasn’t always been so lucky. But tragedy can breed resolve, and last year, Moore adopted a stricter building code for residential construction, becoming perhaps the first municipality in the country to approve rules aimed at significantly enhancing the structural strength of new homes and making them more tornado-resistant.
Read more from the New York Times.
The Data Is In: Oklahomans are actively using Affordable Care Act
Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) recently reached its fifth year, the law’s main incentives for expanding health coverage are still young. The health care law’s second Open Enrollment Period just concluded in February 2015. Now the the enrollment data from the US Department of Health and Human Services is in, and it makes two important points: that Oklahomans are interested and engaged in purchasing health insurance on Healthcare.gov, and that those purchases are having a strong impact on the state economy.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Blue Bell reaches voluntary agreement with Texas and Oklahoma health officials
Officials at Blue Bell and state agencies in Texas and Oklahoma have announced what needs to be done before ice cream is sold again, following the discovery of listeria bacteria. Blue Bell must notify the Texas Department of State Health Services at least two weeks before production resumes so the state can do a full assessment. In Texas and Oklahoma, Blue Bell will also institute a “test and hold” program to assure that products are safe before they are shipped or sold.
Tulsa-area pediatricians prescribing reading, talking, singing to children
A smile spread across Xavier Villarreal’s face the moment his doctor handed him a book. At 9 months, he was more interested in putting “Let’s Play,” or “Vamos a Jugar,” in his mouth than looking at the words and corresponding pictures on its pages. However, his mother, Grace Hila Alvarado, credits the books he’s received during his wellness checkups for helping him be able to speak four words at his young age.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Study: Oklahoma students paying $1,192 more for college
Students attending one of Oklahoma’s four-year public colleges or universities paid $1,192 extra in tuition this year compared to 2008, according to a report released this week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The national report looks at how higher education funding has changed in each state since the recession hit. Most states cut funding to overcome a drop in tax revenue, which resulted in higher tuition for students, according to the report.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Quote of the Day
“There are things we address as physicians that may not have long-term effects, such as a child who comes in for a cold. We know that the cold will resolve itself and the child will be fine. If we do not address the word gap for our families, then we are not addressing one of the most potentially long-term disadvantages that they will face.”
-Tulsa pediatrician Amy Emerson, who is participating in a campaign to raise awareness on the importance of talking, reading and singing to children from birth to age 3 (Source)
Number of the Day
10,105 students
The drop in enrollment at Oklahoma colleges and universities over the past year, a decrease of 5.5% between Spring 2014 and Spring 2015.
Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Years of Cuts Threaten to Put College Out of Reach for More Students
Even as states restore some funding that was cut in recent years, their support for higher education remains well below pre-recession levels, straining college affordability — especially for students whose families struggle to make ends meet. Many public two- and four-year colleges and universities avoided significant tuition increases for the second year in a row, as most states continued to replenish higher education support. Still, 13 states further cut funding in the past year. And in almost all states, higher education support remains below what it was in 2008, just before the most recent recession.
Read more from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
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