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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.
State superintendent Joy Hofmeister told legislators that Oklahoma is in the midst of a “teacher shortage” crisis and more cuts to common education would make the teacher shortage much worse. Oklahoma’s top Medicaid officer says the health care program needs $120 million more state dollars next year just to maintain services at current levels for the more than 800,000 young, elderly and disabled Oklahomans it serves each month. David Blatt’s Journal Record column points out that in the face of a $600 million-plus budget shortfall, it should be an easy choice for lawmakers to halt Oklahoma’s scheduled tax cut that was never meant to take effect in these conditions.
NewsOK reported on how American Indians are missing out on important benefits due to stigmas and misinformation about the Affordable Care Act. Even though the House and Senate passed nearly identical bills to ban texting while driving, the bills may die because the two chambers of the Legislature are refusing to give each other’s bill a hearing. The Tulsa World editorial board argued that the anti-texting bill did not go far enough. Droppings left by a flock of geese on a Grand Lake beach followed by heavy rain were initially responsible for the elevated waterborne bacteria levels that caused the area to be closed to swimmers from June 3 into November.
OK Policy is now accepting applications from college students who want to attend the third annual Summer Policy Institute in August. An official petition drive has begun to remove Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief George Tiger from office. The City of Oklahoma City’s website has been hit with two denial-of-service attacks, where someone in control of large numbers of computers infected with a virus directs them to overload the website’s server with requests. Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer won reelection on March 3 with just 675 votes, the lowest vote total for a winner in any council election in at least 20 years.
The Number of the Day is the net revenue of new immigrant owned businesses in Oklahoma in 2010, 5.3 percent of all net business income in the state. In today’s Policy Note, Kaiser Health News reported that as part of a settlement between credit rating agencies and the New York Attorney General, the agencies have agreed to be more flexible about the effect of medical debt on credit scores.
In The News
More budget cuts will increase Oklahoma teacher-shortage crisis, state superintendent says
Cuts to common education would make the state’s teacher shortage much worse, a Senate panel was told Wednesday. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister briefed the Senate Appropriations Committee on the agency’s budget and funding to school districts. She said the state is in the midst of a “teacher shortage” crisis.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Health Care Authority Director Says Program Needs $120 Million To Maintain Services
Oklahoma’s top Medicaid officer says the health care program needs $120 million more state dollars next year to maintain services at current levels for the more than 800,000 young, elderly and disabled Oklahomans it serves each month. Oklahoma Health Care Authority CEO Nico Gomez spoke Wednesday to members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations while outlining the agency’s budget request for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Rain on the picnic
Faced with a $600 million-plus budget shortfall, elected leaders have many tough decisions to make. But one decision should be easy: halting a tax cut that was never meant to take effect in these conditions. Lawmakers approved the quarter-point drop in the top income tax rate, from 5.25 to 5.0 percent, last session.
Read more from the Journal Record.
American Indians with mental illness, substance abuse disorders should consider Obamacare plans, leaders say
A majority of the people that Michelle Baker screens for a private health insurance plan don’t qualify for a coverage discount. As a benefits technician at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, part of Baker’s job is to help identify American Indians who could enroll for health insurance through the federally run marketplace.
Bills banning texting while driving hit a road bump
Two bills that would ban texting while driving have hit a road bump. Sen. Don Barrington, chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, said Wednesday that he will not give House Bill 1965 a hearing in his committee, where it has been assigned. The Senate passed Senate Bill 821, which essentially does the same thing. However, the measure was assigned to the House Rules Committee, which has been known as a panel where bills go to die.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Put some teeth in anti-texting legislation
Don’t misunderstand us. We’re pleased that this might finally be the year Oklahoma gets an anti-texting law on the books. Oklahoma is one of the last states to adopt specific anti-texting legislation, and it’s time to fix that. But Oklahomans ought to be disappointed, if not downright angry, that the pending proposals don’t go further.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Did goose poop cause Grand Lake beach to close? Officials working on lake’s water quality
It began with goose poop. Officials think the droppings left by a flock of geese on a Grand Lake beach last Memorial Day weekend, followed by heavy rain, were initially responsible for the elevated waterborne bacteria levels that caused the area to be closed to swimmers from June 3 into November. Coming three years after 2011’s blue-green algae outbreak, last summer’s incident lent further urgency to the growing awareness of water-quality issues at the popular northeastern Oklahoma resort area.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Calling all students: Apply for the 3rd Annual Summer Policy Institute
Oklahoma Policy Institute will host the third annual Summer Policy Institute (SPI) from August 2-5, 2015 at the University of Tulsa. The event will bring together more than 50 highly-qualified undergraduate and graduate students for an exciting and stimulating three-day learning experience.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Backers launch petition drive to oust Creek Nation chief
Paperwork formally kicking off an effort to remove Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief George Tiger from office was filed Tuesday with the tribe’s Election Board. Shelly Harjo-Brandy said supporters of Tiger’s removal will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Best Western hotel in Okmulgee to begin gathering signatures.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma City’s Website Hit With Two Denial-Of-Service Attacks
The City of Oklahoma says its website was the victim of a second denial-of-service, or DOS attack, in as many days early Wednesday morning. At 7:44 a.m. the city tweeted its website was down, so KGOU reached out via the social media platform. “There was a Twitter account that said they were taking responsibility for it. They didn’t say why they were,” said Zach Nash, a creative manager for the city.
Oklahoma City’s low voter turnout sets some kind of record
With voter interest ebbing, the bar for winning an Oklahoma City Council seat gets lower and lower. Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer needed just 675 votes March 3 to defeat two challengers and win re-election. A review of records in the city clerk’s office shows Salyer’s vote total is the lowest for a winner in any council election in at least 20 years.
Quote of the Day
“When you start doing your research, you realize how good it can be. There’s a stigma attached to it, and there’s a stigma attached to mental health. When you pair the two together, people aren’t knocking down the door.”
-Summer Duke, behavioral health director at Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, who is trying to encourage more American Indians to sign up for health plans on HealthCare.gov. Members of federally recognized tribes aren’t restricted by an enrollment period and can sign up for insurance coverage anytime in the year (Source).
Number of the Day
$477,000,000
Net revenue of new immigrant owned businesses in Oklahoma in 2010, 5.3 percent of all net business income in the state.
Source: Immigration Policy Center.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Credit Rating Agencies Agree To Be More Flexible About Medical Debt
Too many consumers have learned the hard way that their credit rating can be tarnished by medical bills they may not owe or when disputes delay insurer payment. That should change under a new policy agreed to this week by the three major credit reporting agencies. The agencies say they will establish a 180-day waiting period before medical debt is added to someone’s credit report. In addition, the agencies agreed that when an insurer pays a bill, the debt will be promptly removed from the consumer’s credit report, unlike certain debts that remain for years.
Read more from Kaiser Health News.
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