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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.
[CORRECTION: Yesterday’s quote of the day was incorrectly attributed to Oklahoma Department of Corrections Deputy Director Laura Pittman. The quote actually came from Board of Corrections member Linda Neal.]
Mary Fallin took the oath of office Monday for her second term as Oklahoma governor and said the state needs to boost public health, reduce the incarceration rate and improve academic achievement. You can see the full text of Governor Fallin’s inaugural speech here. NewsOK shared several reactions to the speech from .prominent officials and advocates. A federal appeals court ruled that four death-row inmates have failed to make their case that a new execution drug the state plans to use is unconstitutional, clearing the way for Oklahoma to resume executions next week.
On the OK Policy Blog, Edmond Public Schools’ Chief Financial Officer Lori Smith explained the basics of school finance. NPR reported on how the crash in gas prices has begun to work its way through the Oklahoma economy. Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizens have elected Louis Hicks as their new second chief in a special election, replacing former second chief Roger Barnett who pleaded guilty in October to federal embezzlement charges. As Kansas begins its 2015 legislative session, the state is looking at a $648 million budget deficit following large income tax cuts and an economy growing at a slower rate than the national economy this year.
From Black Friday sales and the lead-up to Christmas, the city of Tulsa saw gains in sales-tax revenue, which means more money in the budget for employee pay and funding going toward a police academy. The Oklahoma City company Physician Housecalls is helping provide care to many homebound patients with primary care physicians who drive throughout the metro area. Classes at Minco Public Schools have been canceled because of reports of widespread flu among the students. Oklahoma’s public universities and colleges are offering a growing number of individual courses and full degree programs online.
A historic church property that housed the pre-statehood incarnation of Oklahoma City University has been purchased by a nonprofit school for homeless children. After increasing rapidly over the past three years, the pace of earthquakes in Oklahoma held steady in 2014 at a rate higher than California and far higher than the historic average in Oklahoma. An Okmulgee County judge granted an adoption decree to a married lesbian couple last month in what is believed to be among the first such adoptions in the state.
The Number of the Day is the percentage of the 44,129 Oklahoma residents who selected plans on Healthcare.gov between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, 2014 who qualified for financial assistance. In today’s Policy Note, The Washington Post shared stories from some of the 4 million Americans left in the cracks of our health care system by states like Oklahoma that are refusing federal funds to provide coverage.
In The News
Gov. Fallin says education, health, and prisons are her priorities for second term
Mary Fallin took the oath of office Monday for her second term as Oklahoma governor and said the state needs to boost public health, reduce the incarceration rate and improve academic achievement. Oklahoma students continue to lag behind many of their counterparts across the nation, a problem Fallin mentioned four years ago in her first inaugural address. This year’s 20-minute speech, delivered in freezing, windy weather, established in broad strokes what Fallin hopes to accomplish in her second four years as the state’s top executive, but it lacked specifics that may be included when she addresses the Legislature before it begins its four-month session on Feb. 2.
See also: The full text of Gov. Fallin’s inaugural speech from the Office of the Governor; Reactions to Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s inauguration speech from NewsOK.
Appeals court upholds death penalty ruling, clearing way for Oklahoma execution
While calling Clayton Lockett’s execution “a procedural disaster,” a federal appeals court ruled Monday that four death-row inmates have failed to make their case that a new drug the state plans to use is unconstitutional. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the appeal filed by inmates Charles Warner, Benjamin Cole, John Grant and Richard Glossip, stating they failed to show they would succeed on the merits of their case.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
ABCs of School Finance
State Aid represents the funds that are appropriated by the State Legislature for school districts, and distributed by the State Department of Education through the “State Aid Formula.” State Aid is based primarily on student counts, with allowances made for various student characteristics represented as grade and categorical weights.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
‘Kings when it’s good’: Oklahoma braces for possible crude crash
The sign on the front door of Pecan Creek Catering in New Cordell, Okla., may say closed, but this kitchen is open for business. It used to be a café, but owner Chad Igo closed the restaurant years ago to focus on catering exclusively to the oil industry. “We’re kings when it’s good. They love us. But as soon as it gets tight, we’re the first one to get cut,” he says. Igo knows that on-site dining in the oil patch is a luxury — and the recent drop in oil prices has slowed not only the energy industry in Oklahoma but also potentially the businesses that cater to it.
Muscogee (Creek) Nation Elects New Second Chief
Unofficial election results show that Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizens have elected a new second chief in a special election. The tribal election board says the results of Saturday’s runoff indicate Louis Hicks defeated former principal chief A.D. Ellis.
Budget deficit looms for Sam Brownback, Kansas Legislature as 2015 session begins
Gov. Sam Brownback will include proposals to increase tax revenue to help fill a projected budget hole when he unveils his budget plan later this week, his chief of staff says. He also will tackle education spending, which accounts for more than half of the state’s budget, as part of his proposed fix, said chief of staff Jon Hummel.
Read more from The Kansas City Star.
Sales-tax figures up, show Christmas boost over budget estimates
From Black Friday sales and the lead-up to Christmas, the city of Tulsa saw gains in sales-tax revenue, which means more money in the budget for employee pay and funding going toward a police academy. The January sales-tax check from the Oklahoma Tax Commission totaled $20.2 million for the period of mid-November to mid-December, city officials announced Monday.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma City doctors begin to offer house calls — again
Each time Bob Littlejohn needed to go to the doctor, his wife had to call the fire department. Bob Littlejohn, 77, of Oklahoma City, had a hip replacement about five years ago, but it got infected. Doctors had to remove the device, which left him unable to walk and homebound.
Minco Public Schools cancel classes because of flu
Classes Monday and Tuesday at Minco Public Schools have been canceled because of reports of widespread illness, the Grady County Emergency Management office announced. “We have learned from Kevin Sims, superintendent of Minco Public Schools that classes are canceled for Monday and Tuesday of this week due to large reports of flu among the students.”
Not all Oklahoma college students report to campus
College classes resumed this week across the state, but not every student reported to campus. Oklahoma’s public universities and colleges are offering a growing number of individual courses and full degree programs online. Data from the state Regents for Higher Education show the state system offered 143 online programs with 5,772 courses during the 2012-13 academic year (the most recent figures available).
Oklahoma City church sold to school for homeless children
Historic church property that housed the pre-statehood incarnation of Oklahoma City University has been purchased by a nonprofit school. Epworth United Methodist Church, 1901 N Douglas, has been sold to Positive Tomorrows, a private, tuition-free elementary school serving Oklahoma City’s homeless children.
Earthquake rate steadies in Oklahoma, experts say
After increasing rapidly over the past three years, the pace of earthquakes in Oklahoma held steady in 2014 at a rate higher than California and far higher than the historic average in Oklahoma. Oklahoma experienced 567 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater in 2014, up from 209 in 2013. The state had averaged about 40 a year for the previous five years and less than five a year before that.
Attorney: Adoption by married, same-sex couple in Okmulgee County believed to be among state’s first
An Okmulgee County judge granted an adoption decree to a married lesbian couple last month in what is believed to be among the first such adoptions in the state, an attorney said. Two young boys in state Department of Human Services care were adopted by two Tulsa women in a Dec. 19 proceeding conducted by Associate District Judge Duane Woodliff, who has since retired, said Terri Craig, the women’s attorney.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
“We are very supportive of Gov. Fallin trying to improve the state health outcomes and we will be happy to work with her, but I think what we’re waiting for is a real political will to tackle the specifics.”
– Oklahoma Hospital Association President Craig Jones, reacting to Governor Fallin’s promise to address public health issues in her second term (Source: http://bit.ly/1Aa493p)
Number of the Day
82%
Percentage of the 44,129 Oklahoma residents who selected plans on Healthcare.gov between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, 2014 who qualified for financial assistance.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Treating chronic illness with cough syrup: Life in the coverage gap
Genesis Matos Rodriguez wakes at 6:30 a.m. and shuffles to the kitchen, where garlic ropes hang on beige walls. Air cleansers, her grandmother calls them. Her mom lays out Robitussin cough syrup and a glass of Alka-Seltzer, substitutes for the prescription pills they can no longer afford. Rodriguez was born with asthma and Middle Lobe Syndrome, which causes mucus to build in her lungs. Two years ago, her right lung collapsed; surgeons removed half. Her monthly medical bill to ward off fluids, including Pulmozyme and Albuterol, can hit $4,000.
Read more from The Washington Post.
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