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Today you should know that a midyear report shows 20-25 percent of Tulsa Public Schools’ 3,200 third-graders were on track to fail the state reading test and risk being held back, but district leaders say remedial programs are helping. Transportation officials say repair work on a closed bridge that connects Purcell and Lexington will take longer than expected and the bridge will remain closed indefinitely.
Moore is considering enacting a stronger building code that could make it the first U.S. city to adopt a code that addresses the risks of tornadoes. Governor Fallin has hired a private law firm to defend her office in an open records lawsuit brought by parents of Moore tornado victims.
The House voted to double Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers’ equipment allowance from $150 to $300 a month. The House passed two bills related to an anti-abortion law struck down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. HB 2684 would reinstate restrictions on the use of the drug RU-486 for medical abortions. HB 2886 would require state constitutional questions to be heard by a panel of three elected judges. The House also voted to allow guns to kept inside locked vehicles on public school campuses.
The Senate approved a bill to require formal public hearings before a mining permit is awarded. Health and insurance groups in Oklahoma are trying to reach out to uninsured residents before a March 31 deadline for enrollment under the federal Affordable Care Act. Four railroad companies have urged state officials not to sell a line connecting Sapulpa and Midwest City.
The Number of the Day is the percentage of Oklahoma high school students who meet all four ACT benchmarks. In today’s Policy Note, a Scholars Strategy Network researcher examines how mass imprisonment has dramatically increased homelessness for black children.
In The News
Report: 20-25 percent of TPS third graders on track to fail state reading test
A midyear report indicates that 20-25 percent of Tulsa Public Schools’ 3,200 third-graders were on track to fail the state reading test and risk being held back at last check, but district leaders say remedial programs are helping. The stakes for scoring proficient or above on the annual Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test have never been higher than it is for this year’s third-graders, who are the first to be subject to recent amendments to the state’s Reading Sufficiency Act.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
James C. Nance Bridge Closed “Indefinitely”
Oklahoma transportation officials say repair work on a closed bridge that connects Purcell and Lexington will take longer than expected and the bridge will remain closed indefinitely. Transportation officials briefed members of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission Monday on the status of the repairs to the US 77-State Highway 39 bridge over the Canadian River.
Moore considers enacting a stronger building code
Past destructive tornadoes have city officials in Moore considering rewriting the building code to strengthen the city’s homes. The city council on March 17 is expected to vote on 12 proposed changes to its residential building code, include requiring hurricane clips or framing anchors, continuous plywood bracing and wind-resistant garage doors, fortifying homes to withstand winds up to 135 miles per hour. If implemented, Moore could be the first U.S. city to adopt a building code that addresses a range of tornado effects on homes.
Gov. Fallin hires private lawyers in open records suit
Governor Mary Fallin has hired a private law firm to defend her office in an ongoing open records lawsuit. In February, two Moore moms filed a lawsuit against Governor Mary Fallin after she failed to turn over requested public documents. Even though the governor’s office has a team of lawyers on staff, and the entire Attorney General’s office at her disposal, her office has hired a private law firm to fight the moms’ request.
Oklahoma Troopers Could Have Equipment Allowance Doubled
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers would have their equipment allowance doubled for things like uniforms and practice ammunition under a bill approved by the Oklahoma House. The House voted 84-3 for the bill on Monday that would boost the amount from $150 to $300 a month. It would also increase the equipment allowance for cadets from $100 to $200 per month.
House passes abortion, judicial bills
Two bills stemming from an anti-abortion law struck down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court last fall passed the state House of Representatives on Monday and were sent to the Senate. House Bills 2684 and 2886, both by Rep. Randy Grau, R-Edmond, are connected to state court decisions that invalidated a 2011 law authored by Grau. The law effectively banned the use of the drug mifepristone — more commonly known as RU-486 — in abortions.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma House Bill 2329 approves bill that allows guns locked in vehicle in school parking lot
Oklahomans with a permit to carry a handgun could keep their weapon locked inside their vehicle on public school campuses under a bill approved by the Oklahoma House. The House voted 76-17 Tuesday for the bill by Oklahoma City Republican Rep. Sally Kern, despite opposition from a lawmaker who is a former school principal and voiced concern about the safety of having guns on school campuses.
State Senate OK’s bill allowing counties to charge 911 fees on cell phones
A measure aimed at providing additional funds for 911 services could result in slightly higher cell phone bills for some people. The Senate on Monday passed Senate Bill 1445 by a vote of 41-4. The measure would let counties vote to increase the 911 fee charged on some cellular phones from a minimum of 50 cents up to $2.25. Sen. Susan Paddack, D-Ada, said the measure is needed because revenue generated from 911 fees attached to landlines is dropping as more and more people discontinue that service and rely chiefly on cell phones.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
State Senate Easily Passes Bill that Could Make Mining Permits Harder to Get
Some landowners frustrated by the expansion of mining in south-central Oklahoma — particularly in the sensitive Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer — hope a slight change to the state’s mining law will make a major difference in the public’s ability to go up against large sand and limestone mining companies. The Oklahoma Senate passed that slight change 36-0 late last week. Senate Bill 1184, by Susan Paddack, D-Ada, would change the permitting process at the state Department of Mines, replacing informal conferences with formal public hearings.
Federal health care enrollment deadline nears
Health and insurance groups in Oklahoma are trying to reach out to uninsured residents as a March 31 deadline approaches for open enrollment in health care plans under the federal Affordable Care Act. After March 31, only people with “qualifying life events” such as a change in income or family size will be able to enroll in plans offered through the federal law. In Oklahoma, enrollment is through the federal health care exchange, healthcare.gov. The next open enrollment period begins Nov. 15.
Read more from the Muskogee Daily Phoenix.
Railroads voice opinions on Oklahoma’s rail line sale proposal
It seems there are no shortage of opinions regarding a proposal by the state to sell a rail line, with other railroad companies saying the state should keep a rail line between Sapulpa and Midwest City, but if a sale should occur, the current lessee should acquire it. In all, four of five railroad companies have urged state officials to keep the line while also voicing support for the current operator on the line. The railroad companies, Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific Railroad, Rio Grande Pacific Corporation, Iowa Pacific Holdings and Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad, all expressed support for the current lessee, Stillwater Central Railroad, in correspondence sent to state officials.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
We’ve been fighting an uphill battle, if you will, trying to make people aware that this offered some real opportunities for them.
– Judy Grant, deputy director of the Oklahoma Primary Care Association, on the push to enroll Oklahomans in health insurance offered under the Affordable Care Act prior to the March 31 deadline (Source: http://bit.ly/1ng1YdE).
Number of the Day
23 percent
Percentage of Oklahoma high school students who meet all four ACT benchmarks (math, reading, science, English) for college readiness, compared to a 26% national average
Source: Oklahoma State Department of Education, 2013
Policy Note
The Prison Boom and the Increased Risk of Homelessness for Black Children in the United States
Not long ago, accounts of homeless people in America focused on single white men, who indeed made up the majority of those without a sure place to live. A skid row lifestyle, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems, and a lack of social ties to people not themselves homeless—these were the realities for homeless white men. But homelessness in America took an unexpected turn starting in the 1980s, when the share of women and children on the streets began to grow.
Read more from the Scholars Strategy Network.
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