Join us for the State Budget Summit

perilous watersOK Policy is pleased to host our first State Budget Summit Thursday, January 16th at the Oklahoma History Center. You can click here to register for the event.

With the theme of “Navigating the Perilous Fiscal Waters”, the summit will offer important perspectives on budget and tax issues shaping the fiscal future of the state and nation. The event will have three parts:

  • Morning Policy Forum: Attendees will hear from leading state experts on Oklahoma’s changing fiscal landscape. Participants include OK Policy Director David Blatt; State Finance Secretary Preston Doerflinger; House Minority Leader  Scott Inman; Oklahoma Health Care Authority CEO Nico Gomez; University of Central Oklahoma Business School Dean Mickey Hepner;  Oklahoma Corrections Professionals Director Sean Wallace, and Parents Legislative Advocacy Committee Chair Melissa Abdo.
  • Lunchtime Keynote Address: G, William Hoagland, Vice-President of the Bipartisan Policy Center will speak on “The Federal Budget: Problems and Challenges”.  Hoagland is one of the nation’s most experienced and respected experts on the federal budget. For 25 years, he served as a senior staffer in Congress specializing on budget issues. From 2003 to 2007, he was the director of budget and appropriations in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (R-TN). From 1982 until 2003, Hoagland was a staff member of the Senate Budget Committee, serving as that committee’s staff director from 1986 to 2003, reporting to Senator Pete V. Domenici (R-NM), chairman and ranking member.
  • Afternoon Advocacy Training: Participants will learn how to be well-informed and effective advocates on budget and tax issues in advance of the upcoming legislative session.  The training, led by leading state and national advocacy experts, will include hands-on and interactive exercises.

The cost for the event is $45 for the full day; $40 for the policy forum and lunch; $20 for the lunch only; and $10 for the advocacy training only. Full and partial scholarships are available if cost would be an obstacle. To apply for a scholarship, send an email to info@okpolicy.org with a brief statement explaining your need.

The event will be held at the Oklahoma History Center. Space is limited so register today by clicking here. For the full event program, click here. If you have questions or need special accommodations, call us at (918) 794-3944 or email us at info@okpolicy.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Former Executive Director David Blatt joined OK Policy in 2008 and served as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2019. He previously served as Director of Public Policy for Community Action Project of Tulsa County and as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma State Senate. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University and a B.A. from the University of Alberta. David has been selected as Political Scientist of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, Local Social Justice Champion by the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, and Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers.

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