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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 Oklahoma Watch examined the waiting list for Oklahomans seeking care for developmental disabilities, which has jumped to more than 7,000 with some families waiting for nearly a decade. Democratic and Republican legislators are complaining that they haven’t been included in negotiations over next year’s budget, which have involved only Gov. Mary Fallin, House Speaker T. W. Shannon and a handful of other high-level Republicans.
The Oklahoman reports that agreements over a tax cut and workers comp reform nearly fell apart earlier this month with the defeat of the Senate’s original tax reform proposal. The proposed tax cut and capitol repairs bill may be declared unconstitutional for addressing more than one subject. OK Policy has a new fact sheet showing how the current tax cut proposal would affect Oklahoma. To contact lawmakers and speak out against the tax cut bill, go to https://okpolicy.org/action-alert-4-13.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will hold its spring task force summit this Thursday and Friday in Oklahoma City. ALEC has raised controversy for allowing corporate donors to write legislation in secretive closed-door meetings with lawmakers. Oklahoma courts are struggling with an increasing number of people in the “sovereign citizens” movement, who don’t recognize the government’s authority to impose laws or taxes. Tulsa was among several cities that received letters from the U.S. Olympic Committee asking whether they might be interested in hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Number of the Day is the amount that federal ‘sequestration’ budget cuts will take annually from substance abuse treatment and prevention in Oklahoma. In today’s Policy Note, the New Republic explains why even though the initial adjustment to the Affordable Care Act may not be easy, it will still do a lot of good and make life better for most people.
In The News
Waiting list for helping developmentally disabled is nearly a decade long
The waiting list for Oklahomans seeking state-paid care for developmental disabilities has jumped to more than 7,000, and some families have been on that list for nearly a decade. The number of people on the list has risen by 24 percent since 2010, when Oklahoma had the third largest waiting list for such services in the nation, according to a University of Minnesota study. Just under half the applicants are children; most are from low-income families. State officials say the list has expanded because of insufficient state and federal funds to provide additional services. That means more parents and guardians must provide care for the intellectually and developmentally disabled on their own, with sometimes little or no help.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Okla. reps say they’re left out of the budget process
Oklahoma Republican officials are keeping a tight lid on who would get how much money under next year’s state budget proposal, and several legislators — Democrat and Republican alike — are complaining they haven’t been included in the negotiations. Gov. Mary Fallin, House Speaker T. W. Shannon and a handful of other high-level Republicans say they meet regularly to negotiate the budget’s outlines, which could be introduced to the full Legislature in the coming week or two. Several legislators said the rest of the Legislature has been left out, essentially excluding from the process the elected representatives of more than 9 in 10 Oklahomans.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Tax bill’s failure nearly led to collapse of agreements
Agreements involving key issues sought by Gov. Mary Fallin and the two Republican legislative leaders nearly fell apart earlier this month with the defeat of a separate bill to reduce Oklahoma’s top personal income tax rate, The Oklahoman has learned. But determination by the Republican governor to get a tax reduction and by the Senate president pro tem to change how workers injured on the job are treated, along with the House speaker’s concern that GOP House members would not support a bond issue to pay for state Capitol repairs kept talks going. They culminated in last week’s agreement, a source close to the high-level discussions said.
Log-rolling rule may send Oklahoma tax cut to court
An Oklahoma lawmaker is predicting that a proposed tax cut would likely suffer the fate of several other recent measures that were declared unconstitutional for addressing more than one subject. House Bill 2032 passed the Senate last week and returns to the House for consideration. The measure would reduce the state’s top tax rate a quarter of a percentage point to 5 percent in 2015 with prospects for an additional cut to 4.85 percent in 2016, if there is sufficient growth revenue to pay for it. But the measure also creates a $120 million fund to be used to repair the state Capitol, which is plagued by plumbing, structural and electrical problems. The Oklahoma Constitution requires that bills deal with a single subject.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
How the tax cut proposal would affect Oklahoma
An income tax cut deal has been reached between Governor Fallin and Legislative leadership. The proposal is moving through the Legislature as HB 2032. The tax cut would do little for average Oklahomans. The bill would lower the top income tax rate from 5.25 to 5.0 percent in 2015. A trigger would reduce to top rate again to 4.85 percent in 2016 or later, whenever revenue increases by more than the cost of the reduction. Under this plan, 41 percent of Oklahomans will not see any tax reduction. Most lower- and middle-income families would not receive any tax cut, and the average tax reduction for middle-income families would be just $30.
Read more from Oklahoma Policy Institute.
To contact lawmakers and speak out against the tax cut bill, go to https://okpolicy.org/action-alert-4-13.
Controversial legislative group to meet in Oklahoma City
About 500 people, mostly lawmakers from across the country, are expected to converge next week in Oklahoma City for the spring meeting of an organization that promotes free-market and conservative ideas. The American Legislative Exchange Council will hold its spring task force summit Thursday and Friday at the Cox Convention Center. More than 2,000 legislators, or about one-third of all sitting lawmakers in the country, belong to the group. The vast majority are Republican. ALEC has been criticized for allowing corporate donors to write legislation in secretive closed-door meetings with lawmakers.
‘Sovereign citizens’ getting attention in Oklahoma County courts
Shane Farrell Thomas has become a pain in the backsides of Oklahoma County judges and court officials whose jurisdiction he refuses to recognize. Thomas, 37, a self-described ‘sovereign’ American, is among a growing number of people nationwide who don’t recognize the government’s authority to impose laws or taxes. “We know they are in Oklahoma because we see and hear about their paper activity in our court system,” said Tamara Pratt, deputy director of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism in Oklahoma City. ‘Sovereign citizens’ such as Thomas, a defendant in multiple embezzlement cases, usually represent themselves in court, filing nonsensical paperwork on their own behalf.
Tulsa wants to host 2024 Summer Olympics
Buoyed by its success hosting a major fishing tournament this winter, Oklahoma’s second-largest city is now dreaming of something faster, higher, stronger: the 2024 Summer Olympics. Local officials acknowledge the idea is a bit far-fetched, but Tulsa was among several small cities that received letters from the U.S. Olympic Committee asking whether they might be interested in hosting the games. “Some people think of Tulsa as a flyover, Dust Bowl town,” said Neil Mavis, a member of the Tulsa 2024 Olympic Exploratory Committee. “Many people think of cowboys and Indians. … Bidding for the Olympics is the one way to change those stereotypes.”
Read more from the Associated Press.
Quote of the Day
Best case scenario, he will be 17, 18 years old before he gets services. These services are incredibly important for us. I just want my kid to have a great life like I want for my other kids.
–Erin Taylor, whose 10-year-old son Henry is at about 4,900 on the waiting list for Oklahoma families seeking care for developmental disabilities. Without adequate funding to meet the need, the waiting list has grown to more than 7,000 families, and some have been waiting for nearly a decade
Number of the Day
$880,000
Amount of funding the federal ‘sequestration’ budget cuts will take annually from substance abuse treatment and prevention in Oklahoma, resulting in about 800 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs
Source: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) via Whitehouse.gov
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Why Obamacare Is Not a ‘Train Wreck’ (Again)
Max Baucus thinks it might be a “train wreck.” David Brooks is predicting chaos. And Democratic senators are telling the White House they are panicked. They’re all talking about Obamacare and what happens next year, when it starts making insurance coverage available to nearly all Americans. Believe it or not, the conversation represents progress. Instead of talking about whether we should have a health care reform law, we’re talking about how well (or not well) the law is going to work. So let me spoil the surprise for you: It’s not going to work as well as many of us would like, and the initial adjustment may not be easy. The whole enterprise is going to be a work in progress. And that’ll be ok—because it will still do a lot of good and make life better for most people, particularly with the passage of time.
Read more from The New Republic.
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