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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 the Tulsa World spoke with women who have received WIC services through Planned Parenthood say they probably won’t continue to pursue the benefits – which help feed their children – if they can’t do so through the agency. The DHS commission voted to hire Ed Lake, a retired deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services, as the new director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Residents and employees of veterans centers in Oklahoma testified about multiple instances of patient abuse and a culture of intimidation that kept word of the problems from getting out.
The OK Policy Blog discussed why Oklahoma should not follow Kansas’ radical tax experiment. Following large income tax cuts, every state agency has been instructed to plan for 10 percent budget cuts, and the new tax code exempts law firm partners from income tax, while their clerks and secretaries pay in full. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is now suggesting making a temporary sales tax increase permanent to help pay for the large drop in revenues. The Oklahoma Gazette reported on growing concerns about drops in school funding. David Blatt’s latest Journal Record column discuss why a gap between the needs of employers and the educational attainment of our workforce may be the gravest threat to Oklahoma’s prosperity.
OK Policy analyst Gene Perry writes in CapitolBeatOK about why we can find a better solution if State Question 766 fails. Find more on all of this year’s state questions here. NewsOK reports that a Supreme Court decision on affirmative action is expected to have minimal impact at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities, where a student’s race isn’t a factor in admissions. Sen. Constance Johnson’s told a gathering of religious leaders that she will propose legislation next session to abolish the death penalty in Oklahoma. The OKC Council requested that the state audit a project to install new records and communication software and hardware for Oklahoma City police, fire and municipal courts. The project has not only exceeded its original estimated cost by millions of dollars, but is running nearly six years behind its original schedule.
The Number of the Day is the share of Oklahomans who think human activity may be partly responsible for global climate change. In today’s Policy Note, the Economic Policy Note examines the role of green jobs in the economy and finds that Oklahoma is 48th in the country for green jobs per capita.
In The News
Tulsa mothers say they will drop WIC if not with Planned Parenthood
Two local women who have received WIC services through Planned Parenthood say they probably won’t continue to pursue the benefits – which help feed their children – if they can’t do so through the agency. The three Planned Parenthood Women, Infants and Children clinics in Tulsa are set to close at the end of this year after the Oklahoma State Department of Health chose not to renew its WIC contract with Planned Parenthood. Tiffany Rosales, the mother of three sons ranging in age from 11 months to 9 years, has been going to the same Planned Parenthood clinic for about 10 years. Rosales called other local WIC clinics after hearing about the contract termination but said she found that it would be three to four months before she could get an appointment. She has decided she won’t go anywhere else to get WIC services and probably won’t be using the program anymore.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
DHS offers director job to Ed Lake
An oversight commission voted Wednesday to hire a new director of the Department of Human Services after a final interview during a special meeting. Ed Lake, a retired deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services, has until Monday to accept the position. Lake, 64, met with Gov. Mary Fallin for an interview early Wednesday before the meeting, and she was supportive of the decision to offer the position to Lake. If he accepts, Lake will take the position as the agency prepares for a Nov. 6 state question vote that could abolish the DHS oversight commission, making the director answer directly to the governor.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Abuse, intimidation alleged at Oklahoma veterans centers
Current and former residents and employees of veterans centers in Oklahoma testified this week in Oklahoma City of multiple instances of patient abuse and a culture of intimidation that kept word of the problems from getting out. One woman testified that she thought her husband was chemically restrained and abused by employees, said Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Ardmore, who is leading the legislative review of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. The agency has come under scrutiny after the death of Jay Minter, 85, at the Claremore center. He was scalded in a whirlpool and died hours later from complications of thermal injuries, according to a report from the state Medical Examiner’s Office. An investigation substantiated claims of caretaker neglect and abuse.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
The matter with Kansas
Earlier this year, while Oklahoma lawmakers were adjourning their legislative session without a final agreement on Governor Fallin’s top priority of cutting the income tax, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback was celebrating his state’s adoption of major income tax changes. Governor Brownback has since referred to the tax plan adopted by the Kansas legislature as a “real live experiment.” While some will be pushing hard to replicate the experiment in Oklahoma, the Kansas example should instead give us pause.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Brownback not ruling out sales tax plan next year
Gov. Sam Brownback hasn’t ruled out having Kansas balance its budget by keeping its sales tax at the same rate rather than letting it drop next year as planned. Brownback acknowledged Wednesday that he’s anticipating state revenues will dip temporarily because of massive income tax cuts he signed into law earlier this year. He said a sales tax proposal remains a possibility but he won’t make a decision until he sees how the budget picture develops. The sales tax is 6.3 percent, but it’s scheduled to drop to 5.7 percent in July. The state boosted the tax in 2010 – before Brownback took office – to protect public schools and social services spending, but pledged that most of the increase would be temporary.
Read more from The Wichita Eagle.
Some fear the Oklahoma schools not just broke, but broken
Only two states cut per-pupil spending more than Oklahoma in the last five years, according to a recent think-tank report. While it appears nearly impossible to determine what funding is adequate for education, it is inarguable that funding for public schools in Oklahoma has decreased. With an eye on unpredictable state and federal budgets, education leaders are talking about the need for more money. The study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending in the state decreased 20.3 percent from fiscal years 2008 to 2013. Alabama was second from the bottom, and Arizona had the biggest decrease. The study found Oklahoma spends $706 less per student now than it did in 2008 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
Read more from the Oklahoma Gazette.
Prosperity Policy: Bridging the gap
What is the gravest threat to Oklahoma’s continued prosperity? It may not be low natural gas prices, Europe’s economic crisis, or the long-term deficit. It may instead be a shortage in well-educated, well-trained workers to fill the jobs created by a modern, knowledge-based economy. We are already seeing clear signs of a gap between the needs of employers and the educational attainment of our workforce. According to projections by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, more than three-quarters of new jobs in Oklahoma between 2010 and 2020 will require at least some postsecondary education. Yet almost half of our population (46 percent) possesses only a high school diploma or less. Oklahoma employers are already reporting difficulties in finding workers with the skills and education they need.
Read more from the Journal Record.
We can find a better solution if SQ 766 fails
With State Question 766, Oklahoma voters will be asked to allow a tax break for some of the largest corporations in the state. This would be paid for by a combination of cuts to schools and counties and increases in individuals’ property tax bills. Supporters of SQ 766 tell a very different story. They argue that voting down the question could lead to large tax increases on everyone, with assets ranging from teaching certificates to “goodwill” being newly taxed. This argument is incorrect for two reasons.
See also: 2012 State Questions from Oklahoma Policy Institute
U.S. Supreme Court affirmative action ruling would have little impact in Oklahoma
A case that could decide what role a student’s race may play in the college admissions process went before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday. Although Fisher v. Texas is one of the most highly anticipated and controversial cases to go before the court this session, it’s expected to have minimal impact at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities, where a student’s race isn’t a factor in admissions. A decision in the case is expected by July. That decision could determine what role, if any, race may play in the admissions process at publicly funded colleges and universities.
Oklahoma Senator pledges to abolish state’s death penalty
Sen. Constance Johnson’s told a gathering of religious leaders at the state Capitol that she had a decision to make when her brother was slain in 1981 on the Langston University campus. “Before I could go forward, I had to forgive,” Johnson, D-Forest Park, said. Although the man accused of her brother’s murder was only in jail until the trial, Johnson said she didn’t believe in the death penalty 31 years ago and she still doesn’t. Wednesday was a worldwide day of opposition to capital punishment, and an Oklahoma association of religious leaders presented a theological statement opposing the death penalty. Johnson said she will be proposing legislation to abolish the death penalty in Oklahoma next session. This is not the first time she has authored an abolition bill, but she said her proposed legislation has never even been heard on the floor or even granted a hearing in committee.
OKC officials request state audit of OKC police project
A project to install new records and communication software and hardware for Oklahoma City police, fire and municipal court has not only exceeded its original estimated cost by millions of dollars, but is running nearly six years behind its original schedule, according to court records. In addition, City Council this week asked that state Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones investigate some city employees connected with the beleaguered project. That request was prompted by a complaint from an Oklahoma City police captain who alleges that the city manager’s office failed to order an investigation or audit after officials were told of questionable oversight of the project.
Read more from the Oklahoma Gazette.
Quote of the Day
We hear time and again money is not that important. I don’t know how they would know. We’ve never tried it.
–Clifton Ogle, president of the American Federation of Teachers of Oklahoma, who said Oklahoma has never adequately funded schools
Number of the Day
2/3rds
Share of Oklahomans who think human activity may be partly responsible for global climate change
Source: SoonerPoll
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Assessing the green economy and its implications for growth and equity
What is a green job? We tend to think of a green job as one that benefits the environment, but illustrations tend to be limited to fossil fuels vs. renewable energy. In fact, whether to categorize a specific occupation as a green job is not always straightforward: what about bus drivers, or software engineers who help design smart-grid technologies, or commercial construction workers? The economy is made up of more than coal miners and solar panel installers, and many occupations have significant roles to play along the spectrum between the fossil fuel economy and a “clean” economy.
Read more from Economic Policy Institute.
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