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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 Superintendent Barresi pledged support for “Parent Trigger Legislation” that allows 51 percent of parents whose children attend a low-performing school to force leadership changes or turn it into a charter school. Tulsa County Commissioner Fred Perry said it would be fair to consider charging airport industrial complex tenants more rent if they receive Vision2 funding. On the OK Policy Blog, Bob Friedman discussed the state of asset-building in the U.S. and how current asset policies reward the rich, miss the middle, and penalize the poor.
Overall state revenue collections in September slightly outpaced those from the prior year, despite continued lower collections from oil and natural gas production. Reuters released a special report on casualties of Chesapeake Energy’s “land grab” across America. The Tahlequah Daily Press examined the state of Affordable Care Act compliance in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma ranked 44th in the U.S. for infant mortality, with about 400 babies each year in Oklahoma dying before their first birthday. A Tulsa police captain who refused to attend a “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day” at the Islamic Society of Tulsa will get his old job back and receive half of the pay that was withheld while he was suspended.
The number of the day is the average annual amount Oklahoma employees contributed in premiums for an employer-sponsored health insurance policy in 2011. In today’s Policy Note, political scientists Suzanne Mettler and John Sides explain why dividing Americans between “makers” and “takers” fails to capture the way that we experience government, with nearly everyone paying for government social policies with tax dollars and directly benefiting from these policies at some point in our lives.
In The News
Superintendent Barresi pledges support for ‘parent trigger’ law
I saw a special preview of the movie “Won’t Back Down” last week. It’s a powerful movie with a powerful message. Based on true events, the movie details the fight of one parent, mired in poverty, who wants a better learning environment for her academically struggling daughter. Because of the very real plight of parents and children in situations similar to those portrayed in the movie, I pledged my support last week to state Sen. David Holt who promised to file “Parent Trigger Legislation” for the 2013 legislative session. A parent trigger means that if 51 percent of parents whose children attend a chronically low-performing school sign a petition, they can demand that the district transform the school. Those changes could include new leadership or staff at the school, or a transition into a charter school.
Read more from the Edmond Sun.
County commissioner: Raising rent fair if airport tenants get Vision2 funding
It is fair to consider charging airport industrial complex tenants more rent if they receive Vision2 funding, Tulsa County Commissioner Fred Perry said Monday. “We still want to make it very attractive for them to stay here,” Perry said. “I think some people have been under the assumption that we would simply do that – put all that great amount of money into it – and then not expect anything in return. “I think we are going to be asking for commitments in return and possibly (an) increase in rent if the tenant has a profitable operation.” Perry said he was responding to a Tulsa World report that city leases with industrial tenants in Air Force Plant No. 3 require the tenants to maintain the building.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Interview with Bob Friedman: Our asset policies ‘reward the rich, miss the middle, penalize the poor’
Last week, I attended CFED’s 2012 Assets Learning Conference, a biannual national gathering of practitioners, researchers, and advocates working to promote economic opportunity and fight poverty for low- and moderate-income Americans through savings, investment and ownership. Following the conference, I sat down with Bob Friedman, CFED’s founder, Board Chair and General Counsel, to discuss the state of the asset building field.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Revenue collections resume climb despite drop in oil, natural gas production
Overall state revenue collections slightly outpaced those from the prior year, despite continued lower collections from oil and natural gas production, Oklahoma Treasurer Ken Miller reported Monday. Figures released by Miller show that three of the state’s other major tax categories grew in September compared to the same month last year, including income, sales and motor vehicle taxes. Overall, gross collections for the month totaled $988 million, an increase of $27 million, or nearly 3 percent, from September 2011. Collections from Oklahoma’s gross production tax on oil and natural gas were down about 40 percent compared to September 2011, but Miller noted that figure is an improvement from August’s 54 percent drop.
Read more from the Associated Press.
The casualties of Chesapeake’s “land grab” across America
Ranjana Bhandari and her husband knew the natural gas beneath their ranch-style home in Arlington, Texas, could be worth a lot – especially when they got offer after offer from Chesapeake Energy Corp. Chesapeake wanted to drill there, and the offers could have netted the couple thousands of dollars in a bonus and royalties. But Bhandari says they ultimately declined the deals because they oppose fracking in residential areas. This June, after petitioning a Texas state agency for an exception to a 93-year-old statute, the company effectively secured the ability to drain the gas from beneath the Bhandari property anyway – without having to pay the couple a penny. Chesapeake says it only seeks exceptions to the Texas statute – called Rule 37 – as a last-ditch effort, and often because it cannot locate the land owner. The law, company spokesman Michael Kehs said, “protects the rights of the majority of mineral owners.” Not so, say many local residents.
Lawmakers to tackle ACA regulations
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is being phased in across the country, providing millions of uninsured Americans the opportunity to participate in plans, and low-cost or no-cost preventive care to millions more. Oklahoma is one of several states protesting the federal law, and the state has yet to set up an insurance exchange for its citizens, as required by PPACA. Recently, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt amended a federal lawsuit against PPACA, challenging procedures created to help implement the new law and the impact it will have on Oklahomans. Rep. Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah, said, “The gamble that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn [PPACA] failed, and now I hope our governor doesn’t gamble on Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s lone lawsuit against the federal government.”
Read more from the Tahlequah Daily Press.
Oklahoma ranks 44th in infant mortality
Anytime Trevor was upset, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” usually did the trick. Melinda Heidling remembers her infant son as a happy baby who loved to play peek-a-boo. Memories are all Heidling has left of her only son. On Monday, Heidling shared her story of losing Trevor with a group of health and child welfare workers at the Oklahoma Leadership Summit on Infant Mortality. In 2009, Oklahoma ranked No. 44 in the U.S. in infant mortality, the death of a baby less than 1 year old, according to the state Health Department. Each year, about 400 babies in Oklahoma die before their first birthday, according to the Health Department.
Suspended Tulsa officer gets some pay, old job back
A Tulsa police captain who refused to attend a “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day” at the Islamic Society of Tulsa will receive half of the pay that was withheld while he was suspended and his old assignment back following an arbitrator’s ruling last week. The arbitration was the result of an appeal by Capt. Paul Fields and the Fraternal Order of Police for the two rules violations Fields allegedly committed by refusing to attend the March 4 event. Fields was suspended 40 hours without pay for violating the department’s rule on being obedient and another 40 hours for violating a rule on conduct unbecoming an officer.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
I feel, regardless of who wins the elections, that while ACA may be modified, it is not going away, and Oklahoma must be prepared to follow the federal law. My constituents are adamantly opposed to the ACA, which they call ‘Obamacare.’ In my opinion, their opposition is based on political spin and rhetoric, rather than a true understanding of this voluminous, complicated legislation.
–Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove
Number of the Day
$1,035
The average annual amount Oklahoma employees contributed in premiums for an employer-sponsored health insurance policy in 2011, up from $386 in 2001
Source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
We are the 96 percent
When Mitt Romney told the guests at a fund-raiser in Florida in May that America is divided between people who pay no income taxes and depend on government and pretty much everyone else, he missed the deeper truth. It is not just that most of the 47 percent Mr. Romney talked about do pay payroll taxes and that many of them have paid income taxes in the past. The reality he glossed over is that nearly all Americans have used government social policies at some point in their lives. The beneficiaries include the rich and the poor, Democrats and Republicans. Almost everyone is both a maker and a taker.
Read more from the New York Times.
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