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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 revised estimates approved by the Tax Commission show Oklahoma with $40 million more available for budget appropriations than previously thought. The president of the National Congress of American Indians urged Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which would provide for the prosecution of non-Native perpetrators of violence against Native women.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that county jails and police departments are subject to civil-rights lawsuits, not immune from them as previously interpreted. An Oklahoman editorial charged elected leadership with paying lip service to corrections reform, without actually doing it.
A Senate committee approved the merger of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs with the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission. Another measure to improve the care given to Oklahoma National Guard members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder was also approved by a Senate panel.
In today’s Policy Note, Wonkblog examines whether Oklahoma really is a good national model for early childhood education. The Number of the Day is the percentage of voting-age Oklahomans who turned out to vote in the 2012 election.
In The News
Revised estimates show more money for Oklahoma’s budget
Legislators will have nearly $40 million more to appropriate this year than the amount estimated a month ago, according to figures approved Thursday by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. The better-than-expected revenues nearly make up for a loss in income tax revenue caused by the agreement between Congress and the president early this year to keep in place most tax breaks granted by former President George W. Bush. The Tax Commission estimated in December that lawmakers would have $7 billion to appropriate for the 2014 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The estimate was $214.6 million more than the amount available a year ago. The December estimate is made so the governor can develop a budget to present to legislators in early February to kick off the four-month legislative session.
Native American leader calls on Congress to pass Violence Against Women Act in annual address
The president of the National Congress of American Indians urged the House on Thursday to pass the Violence Against Women Act so Native Americans and Alaska Natives can “protect their own people and surrounding communities against brutality.” Jefferson Keel’s appeal followed Senate passage on Tuesday of the act that continues to allow funding for domestic violence programs and victims support. The bill, which the Senate approved on a 78-22 vote, would allow American Indian courts to prosecute and sentence suspects in domestic violence cases who are not American Indians.
Read more from the Associated Press
Jails, police not immune from civil-right suits, Oklahoma Supreme Court rules in jail-beating case
A caught-on-video Cherokee County jail beating case has led the Oklahoma Supreme Court to say state law doesn’t give county jails or police departments immunity from lawsuits for violations of constitutional rights. In an official response to questions from U.S. District Judge James Payne, the court said this week that the state government tort claims act doesn’t block suits alleging violation of constitutional rights.
Read more from the Tulsa World
Oklahoma’s justice reinvestment law no good without adequate funding
A corrections reform bill approved by the Legislature in 2012 and signed by the governor was on shaky ground from the beginning. Now the undergirding is really beginning to crumble. The Justice Reinvestment Initiative was a priority for then-House Speaker Kris Steele, who used his time as House leader to try to get his colleagues to think a little differently about corrections and our prison system. As an example, Steele championed an effort designed to send fewer Oklahoma women to prison by providing them social services and counseling that keep their families intact and provide job and schooling opportunities.
Okla. Senate panel approves agency merger plan
Two state agencies dealing with alcohol and narcotics that have a total of nearly 200 employees and combined annual budgets of more than $21.5 million would be merged under a pair of proposals approved Thursday by a Senate committee. The Senate Public Safety Committee approved two measures that would merge the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs with the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission. Consolidating both agencies into the new Oklahoma Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement would result in cost savings and a consolidate administrative functions, said Sen. Clark Jolley, who sponsored the bill and joint resolution calling for the merger.
Read more from the Associated Press
Push for National Guard PTSD treatment advances
An Oklahoma Senate committee has approved a measure to improve the care given to Oklahoma National Guard members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Brian Crain, says many guard members with post-traumatic stress disorder don’t get proper treatment. His bill, passed Wednesday by the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, calls for training for members’ caregivers on treating PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
Quote of the Day
“Congress must allow tribes, like all governments, to protect their own people and surrounding communities, from brutality. So if we believe that a Native woman’s life is worth the same as every other woman’s, if we believe that justice should not stop at the border of a reservation, if we believe that tribes are truly sovereign, then it’s time for the House of Representatives to step up, put partisan politics aside, and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act with expanded protections for all victims of violence.”
Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians and member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma
Number of the Day
Percentage of voting-age Oklahomans who turned out to vote in the 2012 election, compared to 58.2 percent nationally and 3rd lowest among the states
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Is Oklahoma the right model for universal pre-K?
“In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children — like Georgia or Oklahoma,” President Obama said in his State of the Union address, “studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own. We know this works.” Oklahoma’s getting a lot of attention lately for its pre-K program. In fact, insofar as the administration is basing its efforts on any particular model, Oklahoma is the one they name. But is it the right model?
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