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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. E-mail your suggestions for In The Know items to gperry@okpolicy.org. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
The state Senate approved a supplemental appropriation to fund teacher bonuses and health benefits. A House committee voted to remove the Legislature’s exemption from the state Open Records and Open Meeting acts. A letter to the editor of the Oklahoman challenges Gov. Fallin’s plan to eliminate deductions for charitable contributions. Read OK Policy’s statement on the troubling new details of the Governor’s tax plan.
A new study of state tax costs on business from the conservative Tax Foundation ranks Oklahoma fifth best in the nation for new businesses. A federal jury is deliberating a verdict in the bribery and extortion trial of former Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan. The Tulsa Area Parent Legislative Action Committee is organizing parents to contact their legislators to protest high stakes graduation testing. Clean-air advocates criticized state leaders for obstructing federal rules designed to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Oklahoma County Commissioners considered their options for addressing problems with the county jail, which a Justice Department review criticized for its “unconscionable violence” and unsanitary conditions. An op-ed in the Norman Transcript urges men to more boldly engage in the reproductive rights debate alongside women. Today’s Number of the Day is Oklahoma’s rank nationally for the number of adults and teens who smoke. In today’s Policy Note, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released a data snapshot that tracks the number of children residing in areas of concentrated poverty between 2000 and 2010.
In The News
Oklahoma Senate backs $92.5 million in supplemental appropriations for teacher stipends and health benefits
The state Senate on Thursday approved $92.5 million in supplemental appropriations for things such as teacher stipend and health benefits. The measure would provide $37.6 million to the state Department of Education to fund certified employee and support personnel health benefits. It would provide $14.8 million to the Education Department to fund the $5,000 stipends for teachers who attained National Board certification.
Read more from the Tulsa World at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=336&articleid=20120302_16_A9_OKLAHO969131
Oklahoma House panel approves legislative openness measure
A measure that would require Oklahoma legislators to comply with the state’s open government laws as lawmakers in most states do won approval Thursday of a House committee. Rep. Jason Murphey, whose measure failed to advance last year, said the Legislature should abide by the same laws it requires of other governing bodies in the state. The House of Representatives Government Modernization Committee voted 8-3 to pass House Bill 1085. The Legislature years ago exempted itself from the state Open Records and Open Meeting acts. As a result, state senators, representatives and their staffers can operate in secrecy not afforded to other elected officials.
Read more from NewsOK at http://newsok.com/oklahoma-house-panel-approves-legislative-openness-measure/article/3653831#ixzz1ny0fNzyo
Fallin’s tax would eliminate deductions for charitable donations
This seems so unbelievable that I called the governor’s office to make certain she hadn’t been misquoted. Unfortunately, the story was correct. I can hardly imagine the number of good things these charitable organizations give to the state, some through helping the needy and others by making community and statewide improvements that otherwise would have been costly to the state and to its communities. Let’s not harm our state, our communities and our donors by following the governor’s suggestion.
Read more from NewsOK at http://newsok.com/fallins-tax-would-eliminate-deductions-for-charitable-donations/article/3653694#ixzz1ny37xlgR
Tax Foundation ranks Oklahoma among lowest tax states for business
A new study of state tax costs on business from the Tax Foundation ranks Oklahoma fifth best in the nation for new firms and 16th best for mature firms. Among states in the region, Oklahoma ranked second lowest in business tax costs for new firms and third for mature firms. While Texas ranked slightly ahead of Oklahoma for mature firms (12th versus 16th), the Lone Star state was determined to be 42nd best for new firms, well behind Oklahoma (5th).
Read more from the OK Policy Blog at https://okpolicy.org/tax-foundation-ranks-oklahoma-among-lowest-tax-states-for-business/
Deliberation to resume in ex-Okla. senator’s trial
A federal jury will resume deliberating a verdict in the bribery and extortion trial of the former leader of the Oklahoma Senate. Deliberations began on Thursday for former Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan. Morgan’s 12-member jury will resume deliberations Friday morning. Morgan is accused of taking more than $400,000 in return for his influence on bills. Prosecutors lodged bribery and extortion charges against Morgan, but he says the money he received was for legal services.
Read more from KSWO at http://www.kswo.com/story/17062319/deliberation-to-resume-in-ex-okla-senators-trial
Tulsa-area parent group lobbying for graduation requirement changes; good students could be denied diplomas
Melissa Abdo, leader of the Tulsa Area Parent Legislative Action Committee, urged the 60 other parents and patrons who attended a Thursday evening meeting to join her in contacting their state representatives, senators and state board of education representatives with information about specific students affected. “I don’t think these kids are who everybody thought they were,” Abdo said. “There are some legislators who say, ‘They’re not trying; they don’t care; they’re unplugged,’ but the kids who showed up at the Capitol to protest last week proved them wrong. They are not dropouts. This is the second semester of their senior year.”
Read more from the Tulsa World at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=332&articleid=20120302_19_A1_ATulsa430801
AG, utilities file to stop emissions rule
Clean-air advocates criticized efforts by two public utilities and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office to undo federal rules designed to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants. Those entities filed petitions challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regional haze rule, which took effect Jan. 27. Federal regulators adopted the rule after deciding a state proposal failed to address the best ways to reduce sulfur-dioxide emissions at three Oklahoma power plants. “Oklahoma leaders should stop fighting to allow Oklahoma’s outdated, dirty-coal plants to operate without modern pollution controls,” said Whitney Pearson, associate organizer with the Oklahoma chapter of the Sierra Club. “Instead they should focus on working with Oklahoma utilities to create a plan for a just transition toward a healthier power system that benefits Oklahomans from Oklahoma resources.”
Read more from the Muskogee Phoenix at http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/12/03/ag-utilities-file-stop-emissions-rule
Oklahoma County officials face tall order with jail proposal
The fact Oklahoma County’s three commissioners aren’t unanimous in their support for a new county jail doesn’t bode well for the campaign that will ask voters to pay for one. A concerted, unified effort by local officials is needed, and even that may not be enough. The building they seek to replace is only two decades old, and when it opened in 1991 it was considered top of the line. It didn’t take long, though, for construction and design flaws to show themselves, and things have been going south in the 13-story building ever since.
Read more from NewsOK at http://newsok.com/oklahoma-county-officials-face-tall-order-with-jail-proposal/article/3653680#ixzz1ny7y0yXk
Men need to take action, too
What is the matter with Oklahoma men? Why aren’t you angry? Women are. Women marched through the Oklahoma Legislature, mockingly barefoot and pregnant, to show their contempt for legislators obsessed with their continuing assault on a woman’s right to protect her own body. Men, when legislators intrude into a woman’s right to choose to use birth control or to carry a child, they are intruding on your rights, also. You need to step forward and demand that these zealots stay out of your family planning, your private affairs and your wife’s doctor’s office. Step up, Men! Make your voices heard. Family planning is your responsibility, too.
Read more from the Norman Transcript at http://normantranscript.com/opinion/x1125105597/Men-need-to-take-action-too
Quote of the Day
It’s just pointing the finger and passing along the blame to the faceless public schools. They’re just following 1,200 pages of your laws, Mr. Legislator. So I am going to ask you, ‘What ownership do you take in the problems?’
Melissa Abdo, leader of the Tulsa Area Parent Legislative Action Committee
Number of the Day
3rd
Oklahoma’s rank nationally for the number of adults and teens who smoke, 2010
Source: Oklahoma Policy Institute
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
KIDSCOUNT Data Snapshot on Children Living in High-Poverty Communities
All children need strong families and supportive communities to realize their full potential. For the nearly 8 million children under age 18 living in areas of concentrated poverty (see box below for a complete description) in the United States, critical resources for their healthy growth and development – including high-performing schools, quality medical care and safe outdoor spaces – are often out of reach. The chance that a child will live in an area of concentrated poverty has grown significantly over the last decade. In fact, the latest data available show that the number of children living in these communities has risen by 1.6 million, a 25 percent increase since 2000.
Read more from the Annie E. Casey Foundation at http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/D/DataSnapshotonHighPovertyCommunities/KIDSCOUNTDataSnapshot_HighPovertyCommunities.pdf
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