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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 state’s highest court voted in the first black chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Survivors of the Oklahoma City federal building bombing asked Governor Fallin to intervene and help them access relief funds being held by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, which they say they’re being denied.
Removing the Governor from the parole process through the approval of SQ 762 could save Oklahoma millions of dollars annually by eliminating parole delays and backlogs. Oklahoma higher education officials are asking for a $90.4 million increase in next year’s budget, mainly related to the state’s goal to boost college completion over the next several years.
The OK Policy Blog explained what’s next now that state leaders have run out the clock on creating a health insurance exchange. The Enid News and Eagle wrote that the state’s decision to close two centers for the developmentally disabled was not a transparent process and amounted to bad policy.
In today’s Policy Note, the Kaiser Family Foundation provides a comprehensive primer on the uninsured, including why they lack coverage, the consequences of not having coverage, differences in uninsured rates among states, and how the uninsured may be affected by health reform. The Number of the Day is the number of people employed full- or part-time in Oklahoma by state and local governments.
In The News
Oklahoma Supreme Court’s vice chief justice will be first black chief justice of Oklahoma Supreme Court
The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s vice chief justice will move up to chief justice next year. He will be the first black person to serve as presiding officer of the state’s highest court. Justices voted Thursday to elect Vice Chief Justice Tom Colbert as the high court’s chief justice. His two-year term begins Jan. 1. Justice John Reif was elected vice chief justice. Colbert, 62, will succeed Chief Justice Steven Taylor, 63, who served the past two years as chief justice. Justices vote on selecting a chief justice every two years on the Thursday after each November general election. The chief justice is the key administrator of the court’s many functions.
Read more from NewsOK at http://newsok.com/oklahoma-supreme-courts-vice-chief-justice-will-be-first-black-chief-justice-of-oklahoma-supreme-court/article/3726869
Bombing Survivors Demand Money from Relief Fund
Survivors of the Murrah bombing ask Governor Mary Fallin to intervene and close a relief fund, so they can get the money they need. “I want to see the money spread amongst all of those who were involved and who struggled because we’re not getting any help,” said survivor, Falesha Joyner. The Disaster Relief Fund was setup in 1995 following an outpouring of financial support from across the country. The Oklahoma City Community Foundation oversees the fund. According to the foundation, the fund value as of June 30, 2012 was $10 million.
Read more from KOKH at Fox 25 at http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_8007.shtml
Limiting governor role Oklahoma parole process could save millions
State Question 762 amends the Oklahoma Constitution to remove the governor from the parole process of offenders convicted of crimes defined by the state Legislature as nonviolent. Voters approved the measure with nearly 60 percent in favor, according to unofficial results from the state Election Board. Oklahoma has been the only state in the nation in which the governor had the final say in all paroles, and for more than 60 years, all previous attempts to alter the governor’s parole authority had failed.
Read more from the Tulsa World at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20121109_11_A15_CUTLIN632513
Oklahoma higher ed to seek $90.4 million budget increase
Oklahoma higher education officials are asking for a $90.4 million increase in next year’s budget. The requested budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year is about $1.046 billion, a 9.47 percent increase over the current budget. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education approved the appropriations request at a special budget meeting Thursday. Most of the funding increase would be related to the state’s college completion goals, according to the appropriations request. The largest share – $55 million – would go to offset costs brought on by enrollment increases.
Read more from the Tulsa World at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20121109_16_A10_OKLAHO255487
Looming deadline forces Oklahoma’s hand on a health exchange
It seems virtually certain Oklahoma will miss the November 16 deadline. We haven’t moved on exchange planning in over a year. The Legislature tried and failed to pass exchange-establishment bills during the last two sessions, bills that wouldn’t have passed muster as a blueprint for our state-based exchange anyway because they weren’t compliant with federal law. Gov. Fallin won’t be calling a special session and the Insurance Commissioner wants legislative guidance before he’ll move forward.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog at https://okpolicy.org/icymi-looming-deadline-forces-oklahomas-hand-on-a-health-exchange
Oklahoma DHS decision to shut down state-run facilities does not make a bit of sense
We’re shocked, upset and concerned about the Oklahoma Commission for Human Services’ surprise resolution calling for the closing of two state-run facilities for the developmentally disabled. More than anything, this decision doesn’t make sense. In September, Gov. Mary Fallin made an unannounced trip to Northern Oklahoma Resource Center of Enid to get a firsthand account. She had made a similar sojourn to the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center in Pauls Valley.
Read more from the Enid News and Eagle at http://enidnews.com/opinion/x691735373/Oklahoma-DHS-decision-to-shut-down-state-run-facilities-does-not-make-a-bit-of-sense
Quote of the Day
I’m still in need of handicap equipment for my car so I can drive after 17 years.
Falesha Joyner, Oklahoma City federal building bombing survivor, on being denied distribution from a survivor fund run by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Number of the Day
247, 750
Number of people employed full- or part-time in Oklahoma by state and local governments, 2011
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The Uninsured: A Primer
This comprehensive primer provides a profile of the uninsured population, explains why they lack coverage, reviews the consequences of not having coverage, examines differences in uninsured rates among states, and summarizes how the uninsured may be affected by health reform. In 2011, 48 million nonelderly Americans were uninsured, a decrease of over 1.3 million uninsured people since 2010. This change resulted from stability in private coverage and the availability of Medicaid to buffer loss of health insurance for the low-income population.
Read more from the Kaiser Family Foundation at http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/7451-08.pdf
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