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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.
Oklahoma is finally making some progress in bring all counties into an online court records system, but state budget cuts threaten to eliminate the popular website entirely. The Tulsa World and The Oklahoman both editorialized against the cuts to OSCN.net. An op-ed by Nikki Hager, a former OK Policy intern and the Midwest regional director of millennial advocacy group Common Sense Action, argued that short-sighted state budget decisions are hurting Oklahoma’s young people.
The Tulsa World reported that Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel shot a man in 2005 while acting as a volunteer reserve sheriff’s deputy, and officials were pointing out problems with the program a decade ago. The Tulsa World called for embattled Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz to resign immediately. Glanz has said he will not run for reelection in 2016.
On the OK Policy Blog, Steve Lewis discussed how this year the Legislature began the difficult work of changing the Oklahoma criminal justice system to make it fairer, less expensive to the taxpayer and more likely to give offenders a chance to reclaim their lives. A murder convict recently denied parole has filed a lawsuit alleging bias, citing a claim that a member of the state Pardon and Parole Board said she will never vote to parole an inmate convicted of murder.
Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law Friday a bill that will set up a framework to regulate ride-booking services such as Uber and Lyft. Scaffolding will be erected this week and will stay up for three to four years as crews perform major repairs to the state Capitol. The city of Shawnee and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation are engaging in a power struggle as the Potawatomi chairman talks about de-annexing some of the tribe’s land that lies within Shawnee to form a tribal city called FireLake. The Bureau of Indian Affairs on Monday released their final rules to revise development of Osage Nation mineral rights, nearly three years after the government paid a $380 million settlement over its mismanagement of the tribe’s minerals.
The Number of the Day is 12.57 inches – the amount of rain recorded in the last 7 days at the Minco, OK Mesonet station, the highest in the state. In today’s Policy Note, the Pew Charitable Trusts examined how automatically created children’s savings accounts with a deposit seeded by states is helping to create a college-going culture in low-income communities.
In The News
After years of delay, on-line court system making progress — maybe
After years of delays, missed deadlines and failures, a multimillion project to get all of the state’s courtrooms on the same electronic page is finally making some progress. Or not. Initiated in 2007, the Unified Case Management System is eventually supposed to make court records in all 77 counties accessible through a single Internet portal. Last week, reports surfaced that budget-makers might take $22 million of the $23 million from the project revolving fund and use it to pay for other court operations.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: Tulsa World Editorial: Legislature shouldn’t cut OSCN.net; Oklahoman editorial: State court website is worth protecting
Hager: Short-term strategies drive state into ditch
Last year, Oklahoma had the fourth-highest growth in statewide gross domestic product and enjoyed the eighth-lowest unemployment rate. The Brookings Institute ranked Oklahoma City’s economy as the seventh-fastest growing in the nation. Despite robust economic growth, Oklahoma faces a $611 million budget shortfall this year. Although a portion of this gap can be attributed to an international slump in oil prices, this is the second year in a row that Oklahoma’s budget needs have well exceeded its revenues.
Read more from the Journal Record.
Decade-old shooting had officials pointing to earlier problems with reserve deputy program
The shooting of a suspect by a reserve deputy in 2005 bears a resemblance to the recent controversy surrounding Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz and former Reserve Deputy Robert Bates, and indicates that some of the same issues existed in the Sheriff’s Office a decade ago. Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel — acting as a reserve sheriff’s deputy — shot a man while authorities were trying to serve an arrest warrant.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: Tulsa World Editorial: Sheriff Stanley Glanz should retire — now
Positive steps for criminal justice reform
The legislature this year began the difficult work of changing the Oklahoma criminal justice system to make it fairer, less expensive to the taxpayer and more likely to give offenders a chance to reclaim their lives. Three bills that demonstrate a change in direction from piling on longer sentences and burdensome collateral consequences of being a convicted felon to a more rational approach have passed.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma murder convict files lawsuit against Oklahoma state Pardon and Parole Board board, alleging bias
A member of the state Pardon and Parole Board allegedly said she will never vote to parole an inmate convicted of murder — leading a murder convict recently denied parole to file a lawsuit. Freddie M. Johnson, who is serving a life sentence, contends the parole board didn’t give him an impartial hearing, as is required under the state constitution.
Gov. Fallin signs bill to establish statewide regulation for Uber, similar services
Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law Friday a bill that will set up a framework to regulate ride-booking services such as Uber and Lyft. The bill hands responsibility to the San Francisco-based ride service companies for checking a driver’s criminal background and driving history. Enforcement would be limited to reviews, no more than twice a year, of randomly selected company records.
Scaffolding to be erected as state Capitol repairs begin in Oklahoma City
Want to see the state Capitol without scaffolding around it? Better come quick. Scaffolding will be erected this week and will stay up for three to four years as crews perform the biggest repair and refurbishment project in the history of the 98-year-old building. First on the agenda will be workers chipping away at the mortar with hammers, chisels, saws and power grinders.
City of Shawnee, Citizen Potawatomi Nation engage in power struggle in Pottawatomie County
A war of words over who will provide water service and allegations of improper influence in municipal politics are the latest salvos in an ongoing conflict between the city of Shawnee and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. John “Rocky” Barrett, chairman of Citizen Potawatomi Nation, has openly talked about de-annexing some of the tribe’s federal trust land that lies within Shawnee to form a proposed tribal city, FireLake.
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Interior release final rules regarding Osage minerals estate development
The Bureau of Indian Affairs on Monday released their final rules that revise government regulations relating to development of the Osage Nation’s minerals estate. BIA Director Michael Black told the Tulsa World on Friday that the release comes nearly three years after a $380 million Osage tribal trust settlement resolved litigation alleging the U.S. mismanaged the tribe’s minerals.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
“Instead of taking advantage of a healthy economy to address the structural issues in the budget, each year the Oklahoma Legislature continues to pursue short-term solutions to long-term problems. This generationally irresponsible strategy fails to prevent future imbalances while reducing investment in Oklahoma’s future.”
-Nikki Hager, the Midwest regional director of millennial advocacy group Common Sense Action and a previous OK Policy intern (Source)
Number of the Day
12.57 inches
Amount of rain recorded in the last 7 days at the Minco, OK Mesonet station, the highest in the state.
Source: Oklahoma Mesonet
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Children’s Savings Accounts Help States Create ‘College-Going Culture’
Free money for college may sound like an easy sell, but when parents of newborns in Maine were offered a $500 grant for their infants’ college education, fewer than half signed up. Even worse, a study found that less educated, lower-income families–those that could benefit most—were least likely to take the money. So last year, Maine changed its strategy. Today, each of the roughly 12,500 babies born in Maine each year receives a $500 grant deposited automatically in a college savings account.
Read more from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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