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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 officials with the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon say the race will proceed as scheduled in less than two weeks, despite the explosions at the Boston Marathon. At least five earthquakes shook parts of Oklahoma early this morning. Gov. Fallin said she feels heartened after talking with the House Republican caucus about the prospects of getting an income-tax cut bill this year, while Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman said his caucus may consider more changes, such as eliminating or reducing tax credits or deductions. Kurt Hochenauer writes that the tax cut boosters arguments are full of misguided assumptions, lack empirical evidence, and rely on dogma.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Service’s Practice and Policy Lecture Series will host OK Policy analyst Kate Richey on April 25th to discuss Oklahoma’s racial wealth gap in asset building. A former state health commissioner joined Oklahoma House Democrats on Monday in calling on GOP Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican legislative leaders to expand access to Medicaid. With little more than eight months before key mandates of health care reform take effect, new research shows almost half of Americans don’t know much if anything at all about the new federal laws. Proposed federal rules for who can assist consumers to purchase health insurance on the new exchanges appears to be at odds with Oklahoma law because the navigator role is not limited to licensed agents and brokers.
Oklahoma City Public Schools has put a charter school on notice that it might be out of operation after this school year. The city is poised to strengthen its ability to enforce water conservation measures and set aggressive limits on watering lawns when reservoirs run low. Tulsa officials say workforce turnover due to low wages is compromising the city’s ability to keep water systems maintained. Mayor Dewey Bartlett implemented a hiring freeze on city employees, citing lower-than-expected sales-tax collections. The Tulsa Jail remains well over its official capacity despite weekend efforts by jail and judicial officials to release dozens of inmates.
The Number of the Day is the percentage of women in Oklahoma without health insurance that are currently employed. In today’s Policy Note, a new survey finds that only 1 to 3 percent of employers plan to drop workers from their healthcare plans as a result of the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act next year.
In The News
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon officials say race is on as scheduled
On a day terror came to Boston, all of Oklahoma City held its breath. What happened there was quickly linked to what happened here. It was another bombing on American soil, and it comes the same week that our city will commemorate our bombing. The Boston Marathon bombing also comes less than two weeks before the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, which is run in remembrance of the 168 people who died in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. As of late Monday afternoon, the Oklahoma City race was on as scheduled, but that could change. “We don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction that we’re going to give into the fear,” said Oklahoma City National Memorial executive director Kari Watkins, “but we also don’t want to be careless about our decision.”
Five earthquakes rumble across Oklahoma
At least five earthquakes shook parts of Oklahoma early Tuesday. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake occurred at 1:56 a.m. with an epicenter about 7 miles east, northeast of Luther and 22 miles east of Edmond, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Rumblings were felt across a wide portion of central Oklahoma, but there were no immediate reports of damage. Austin Holland, a geophysicist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey in Norman, said he is gathering data about the quakes Tuesday. “At this point it looks like a main shock, aftershock sequence. There are even a bunch of smaller ones,” Holland said.
Oklahoma income tax cut talks continue in Legislature
Gov. Mary Fallin said Monday she feels heartened after talking with the House Republican caucus about the prospects of getting an income-tax cut proposal this year. House Speaker T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, said that discussions are ongoing about the size of the cut and when such a cut would take effect. Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, said his caucus also may consider more changes, such as eliminating or reducing tax credits or deductions. Opponents of eliminating certain credits or deductions last year helped lead the defeat of several income tax-cutting bills. Asked about Bingman’s comments, Fallin said, “I think you’ll find that tax breaks will be a separate issue from a tax cut.”
See also: Dogma, presumptions blur tax cut arguments from Okie Funk
Upcoming Event: Policy & Practice lecture explores closing the opportunity gap
The Oklahoma Department of Human Service’s Practice and Policy Lecture Series will host our very own policy analyst, Kate Richey, on April 25th to discuss Oklahoma’s racial wealth gap in asset building. The free event will take place from noon to 1 pm at the Oklahoma History Center located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City. Kate’s lecture, entitled Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building Equity in Oklahoma, is based on her report released by OKPolicy last year. Asset building refers to items necessary for prosperity such as a savings account, home ownership, and an education.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Gov. Fallin urged to reconsider Medicaid decision
A former state health commissioner joined Oklahoma House Democrats on Monday in calling on GOP Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican legislative leaders to expand access to Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor. It is the morally and ethically right thing to do — to strive to provide health care to as many as Oklahomans as is absolutely possible.” Dr. Mike Crutcher, Former state health commissioner “This is a moral and ethical issue,” said Dr. Mike Crutcher, who served as state health commissioner from 2003 until 2009. “Other people in the world do it. Other states in the Union do it, and we should be able to do it also.” Dr. Crutcher is now director of medical quality at Variety Care, a nonprofit community health center that provides health care to low-income families.
As Obamacare ‘puzzle’ takes shape, many in Oklahoma remain unaware of changes
With little more than eight months before key mandates of health care reform take effect, new research shows almost half of Americans don’t know much if anything at all about the new federal laws. Come Jan. 1, reforms require most individuals to have insurance or pay taxes, larger businesses to offer affordable health insurance or pay annual penalties, and insurers to follow new plan regulations. Meanwhile, 90 percent of Americans don’t know new health insurance exchanges will be available for online and telephone enrollments Oct. 1. Oklahoma’s federally-run exchange will let residents and employers with up to 100 workers compare and buy health insurance policies, much like they shop online for travel packages.
Feds, state at odds over health plan enrollment
State law and proposed federal rules for who can “navigate” health-insurance deals in Oklahoma appear to be at odds, and Insurance Commissioner John Doak says the issue seems headed to conflict. Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released proposed rules for so-called navigators in federally run state health-insurance exchanges, where consumers can compare health-insurance programs and prices, and make purchases with federal subsidies. In those exchanges, the navigators will fill many of the roles normally associated with insurance agents and brokers – they help customers understand their health insurance options and come to decisions. Because Oklahoma has refused to set up an exchange, federal officials are building one for the state – giving HHS sole authority over who can be navigators. The proposed rules say that states can’t restrict the navigator role to licensed agents and brokers.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma City school could lose charter
Oklahoma City Public Schools has put a charter school on notice that it might be out of operation after this school year. Marcus Garvey Leadership Charter School, 1537 NE 24, could lose its charter at the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30. Last month, district officials sent a notice of intention to pull the charter, and Marcus Garvey officials notified the district last week that they plan to appeal. The reason for revoking the charter is unclear. School district officials said Monday they would not provide a copy of the letter given to the school. The school received poor marks from the state Education Department this year, including Fs in reading and math.
Oklahoma City moving ahead with conservation measures
A paradigm shift is in the works when it comes to use — and misuse — of Oklahoma City water. The city is poised to strengthen its ability to enforce conservation measures and set aggressive limits on watering lawns when reservoirs run low. “I think this is going to be accepted as a positive step,” Mayor Mick Cornett said. The Oklahoma City Council plans a public hearing Tuesday on measures requiring new lawn sprinkler systems to have shut-off valves and to raise fines on those who violate conservation orders. Fines would range from $119 to $1,200 for repeat offenders.
Tulsa officials say low wages affecting water systems maintenance
The loss of experienced personnel and the inability to attract and retain new workers is compromising the city’s effort to maintain the pipes and valves that keep water flowing into homes and businesses, according to an internal memorandum issued earlier this year. “We had one individual recently who left us and went to a company that fills vending machines to make more money,” said Clayton Edwards, Water and Sewer Department director. The city’s municipal union estimates that labor and trades employees earn an average of $18,408 to $23,670 per year.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Fall off in sales tax collections causes Tulsa mayor to set hiring freeze
Calling it the prudent thing to do, Mayor Dewey Bartlett implemented a hiring freeze on city employees Monday, citing lower-than-expected sales-tax collections in fiscal year 2013. The freeze will be in effect at least through June 30, the end of this fiscal year. It applies to all positions that receive more than 15 percent of their funding from the city’s general fund. Departments such as the Water and Sewer Department, which receives funding from customers, will not be affected. “At this time, it is estimated the General Fund total revenues collected for the year will be less than the projected amount of $261.1 million,” Bartlett wrote. “Additionally, two of the past three sales-tax revenue amounts have been less than the revenues received for the same months last year.”
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Tulsa jail population dips slightly as officials release dozens of inmates
The Tulsa Jail remained well over its official capacity Monday despite weekend efforts by jail and judicial officials to cull the inmate population. During the 60-hour period from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday, 165 people were booked into the Tulsa Jail and 185 were released, said Tulsa County Sheriff’s Maj. Shannon Clark. The gain in 20 vacant beds was achieved in part by staff working extra hours to identify inmates who might be eligible for early release, Clark said. Tulsa County District Judge James Caputo also worked the weekend, ordering 25 inmates released from a list of over 80 prospects, Clark said. Were it not for those efforts, the jail population would have increased over the weekend, despite a county ban on the intake of prisoners arrested only on municipal complaints.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
We’re people of faith and we believe in sovereign God, and we want to give Him a lot of credit for her living seven years, but we also want to give a lot of credit to the incredible therapists and doctors and nurses that nurtured her and helped us along the way. There’s a direct link to her living seven years instead of seven months because we received Medicaid dollars. If we were not able to receive assistance to procure those for our daughter she would not have learned to crawl, she would not have learned to walk, so for us, and we may just be one family speaking, but for us, it was an invaluable resource the state of Oklahoma provided for us.
-Michael McLaughlin, speaking at a press conference urging Gov. Fallin to accept federal dollars to extend Medicaid, about how the program helped to care for his child with a rare genetic disorder
Number of the Day
63 percent
Percentage of women in Oklahoma without health insurance that are currently employed, 2013
Source: National Women’s Law Center
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Most Employers Won’t Drop Health Care Coverage Because Of Obamacare
Despite speculation indicating otherwise, most employers don’t plan to drop workers from their healthcare plans as a result of Obamacare, a new survey finds. Nearly 70 percent of benefit professionals said their companies “definitely will” keep offering coverage to full-time workers next year, when many of the provisions of President Obama’s healthcare reform law take effect, according to a recent survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Just one percent of the respondents said their companies definitely wouldn’t be offering health care coverage to full-time workers and two percent said it was “somewhat unlikely.” The share of employers saying they would “definitely offer” coverage to full-time workers is up from last year, when only 46 percent said they would do so in a similar survey.
Read more from the Huffington Post.
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