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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 In The News
State seeks delay of Richard Glossip execution, two other executions: The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office is seeking a request for an indefinite stay of the state’s three upcoming executions. The request filed Thursday cited Wednesday’s events leading to the last-minute stay of execution for Richard Glossip as the state “needs time to evaluate the events that transpired …, ODOC’s acquisition of a drug contrary to protocol, and ODOC’s internal procedures relative to the protocol” [Tulsa World]. Governor Fallin’s office has released a list of questions and answers regarding Wednesday’s stay.
Why unlikely allies want to reform Oklahoma’s civil asset forfeiture law: Last week, Oklahoma Policy Institute participated in a joint press conference with Sen. Kyle Loveless (R-OKC), the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma. The topic was a new poll jointly sponsored by OK Policy and OCPA that found a large, bipartisan majority of Oklahomans favor reforming civil asset forfeiture laws to allow law enforcement to keep confiscated property only when a criminal conviction is achieved [OK Policy].
Study: Education sales tax would cost average family $262: A proposed penny sales tax increase would cost medium-income Oklahomans about $262 a year and raise $608 million annually to finance public schools and higher education, a new data analysis shows. The bottom 20 percent of Oklahoman households would chip in $90 a year, and the top 1 percent would pay $1,691, the study says. As a percentage of income, though, the tax would fall hardest on the poor. That’s because they spend a bigger portion of their income on retail purchases [Oklahoma Watch].
All is not well: The storm clouds gathering on state government’s budgetary horizon are ominous. For the fourth consecutive month – and fifth time in six months – state revenue collections in August were less than the year before. Oklahoma’s unemployment rate is but a half percentage point below the national rate – after eight years of being significantly lower. State government’s fiscal experts know what’s coming – a collective migraine not experienced since the last great oil bust in the early 1980s [Arnold Hamilton / Journal Record].
The end of a food desert in southeast Oklahoma: For almost two years, residents in the small southeast Oklahoma town of Clayton have been without a grocery store. That’s why, when you ask anyone around town what they’re most excited about regarding recent economic development, they will tell you: “The grocery store” [NewsOK].
Anoatubby inaugurated for eighth consecutive term: Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby was inaugurated for his eighth consecutive term as governor at a ceremony Thursday on the campus of East Central University in Ada. Anoatubby has served 28 years as governor of the tribe [Journal Record].
Challenges and progress cleaning up one of Oklahoma’s most polluted places: The Tri-State Mining District in northeastern Oklahoma’s Ottawa County was once the world’s largest source of lead and zinc. The mines had closed by the 1970s, but pernicious pollution still plagues what is now known as the Tar Creek superfund site [StateImpact].
Oklahoma likely will meet ozone regulations: Oklahoma is expected to be able to meet tighter limits for ground-level ozone, or smog, unveiled Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. Officials were still studying the new standards, but the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality said the state likely would fall under a three-year period that includes monitoring data from 2014 to 2016 [NewsOK].
Sheriff Stanley Glanz makes his first appearance in court: Sheriff Stanley Glanz made his first appearance in court Thursday morning on two misdemeanor criminal indictments that grand jurors returned against him a day ago. The two misdemeanor crimes of which Glanz was indicted are refusal to perform official duty and willful violation of the law [Tulsa World].
Child advocates get update on how Laura Dester Shelter will close: The closing of the Pauline Mayer Shelter in Oklahoma City provided a blueprint for shifting the use of Tulsa’s Laura Dester Shelter by the end of the year, according to officials from the state Department of Human Services. Oklahoma agreed to eliminate emergency shelters for abused and neglected children who are removed from their homes as part of changes in child welfare practices and the Pinnacle Plan, the negotiated settlement of a federal class-action lawsuit filed in 2008 [Tulsa World].
Quote of the Day
“The storm clouds gathering on state government’s budgetary horizon are ominous. For the fourth consecutive month – and fifth time in six months – state revenue collections in August were less than the year before. Oklahoma’s unemployment rate is but a half percentage point below the national rate – after eight years of being significantly lower. Chesapeake Energy this week announced 740 layoffs – 15 percent of its workforce – including 562 in Oklahoma City. A Dallas company’s purchase of the Williams Cos. casts doubt on the fate of 1,000 Tulsa workers. State government’s fiscal experts know what’s coming – a collective migraine not experienced since the last great oil bust in the early 1980s.”
– Arnold Hamilton, Editor of the Oklahoma Observer, writing in the Journal Record (Source)
Number of the Day
26,300
Estimated number of Oklahoma veterans in households receiving SNAP (food stamp) benefits, on average, 2011-2013
Source: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Most Americans don’t realize it’s this easy for police to take your cash: Civil asset forfeiture is a controversial but legal practice that allows police to seize cash and property from people without charging them with a crime. If police simply suspect that you acquired something as a result of illegal activity, they can take it from you. If you want to get it back, the onus is on you to prove you got it legally. As you might imagine, a lot of folks are up in arms about this. But reform has been slow. [Washington Post].
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