OKPOLICY.ORG
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.
New data from the U.S. Census shows the number and percentage of Oklahomans without health insurance has declined for the third year in a row. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explained how to understand the new health insurance coverage estimates. The second annual open enrollment period begins Nov. 15 for the Affordable Care Act’s online health insurance marketplace. Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak participated in a Q&A about the marketplace. A respiratory illness that has been causing some children in the region to go to intensive care has been confirmed in Oklahoma.
On the OK Policy Blog, we examined signs of weakening political participation and representation in Oklahoma. State election officials are encouraging Oklahomans to vote by mail to avoid lines at polling places in November. The Together Oklahoma coalition is launching a statewide “Together Tuesdays” tour with public discussion forums on how to get more engaged in Oklahoma’s political process. The first Together Tuesday forum will be September 23 in Enid. Tahlequah High School math teacher Jason Scott Proctor has been named Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
Attorney Jerry Fent has filed a formal objection to a law to repair the state Capitol, likely triggering an Oklahoma Supreme Court review of the measure. Fent claims that since the law is specific to only one building, it is a “special law” that must be published in a newspaper for four consecutive weeks before the measure is considered. Officials from a group representing Oklahoma Muslims said they will “seek protection” following state Rep. John Bennett’s comments at a town meeting that the Islamic faith “is a cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out.” A mystery substance found in an Okmulgee County river has prompted an investigation by multiple agencies. NewsOK examined efforts being made by oil and gas drillers in Oklahoma to reduce their water usage.
Specific allegations of sexual assault by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper were detailed for the first time in documents released by the Creek County District Attorney’s Office. A Tulsa County Sheriff’s deputy is in custody for sexual assault after he admitted to exposing himself and inappropriately touching a woman during a 911 call investigation, as well as engaging in sexual-type activity with about six women during traffic stops. The Oklahoma Supreme Court has cleared the way for an Owasso police officer who was fired in 2011 for excessive use-of-force to return to work. A private autopsy on a man who died following a confrontation with police in front of the Moore Warren Theatre found that he died from asphyxia, contradicting findings by the state medical examiner that he died of a heart condition.
The Number of the Day is the number of the Oklahoma children whose parents lacked secure employment in 2012, 30 percent of all kids in the state. In today’s Policy Note, the New York Times reports on how a new approach to teaching history being promoted by Bill Gates is entering hundreds of high schools across the country.
In The News
Percentage of Oklahomans without health insurance falls for third year in row
The number and percentage of Oklahomans without health insurance declined from 2012 to 2013, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The uninsured rate among Oklahomans dropped from 18.4 percent to 17.7 percent during the one-year period, while the number of residents without coverage shrank from 685,000 to 666,000. Only five states experienced larger declines than Oklahoma in the percentage of uninsured residents.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: Understanding the Census Bureau’s Upcoming Health Insurance Coverage Estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Enrollment opens Nov. 15 for Oklahoma’s online health insurance exchange
Q: The second annual open enrollment for Oklahoma’s federally run online exchange, or health insurance marketplace, is Nov. 15 through Feb. 15. Who qualifies to shop on it? John D. Doak Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner: Oklahomans who don’t have Medicare coverage may shop, compare and buy individual health and dental insurance and small business group health and dental insurance. The earliest effective date for coverage is Jan. 1 for applications received by Dec. 15. The web address for the federal exchange is www.healthcare.gov.
Enterovirus D68 confirmed in Oklahoma
A respiratory illness that has been causing some children in the region to go to intensive care has been confirmed in Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Enterovirus D68 has been circulating in Oklahoma and also has been confirmed in 11 other states, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The virus appears similar to the common cold with symptoms such as cough, runny nose and possibly a fever. But some children can develop difficulty breathing that can be dangerous, according to the health department.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma’s democracy is broken
Last month, Oklahoma voters went to the polls for primary runoff elections. Well, a few voters went to the polls. Average turnout was a paltry 18.1 percent. In 11 of the 16 runoff contests, fewer than one in five registered voters cast a ballot to select their party’s nominee. In the two statewide Democratic primaries for Superintendent of Instruction and U.S. Senator, turnout was less than 11 percent. Pitiful turnout in primaries is an extreme example of a broader breakdown of democratic participation in Oklahoma.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma election officials encourage people to vote by mail
Hundreds of people complained about long lines at Oklahoma polling places in the 2012 general election, with some wait times as lengthy as two hours. As state election officials prepare for the Nov. 4 statewide election, they have a suggestion for those who don’t want to be delayed at their local precinct: Vote by mail. In Oklahoma, any voter can receive a ballot by mail. The voter fills out the ballot, has the envelope stamped by a notary public for free and sends it back. So, for the price of a postage stamp, lines and inconvenience are avoided.
Together Oklahoma is going on tour!
Is democracy broken in Oklahoma? Our state is far too often ranked near the bottom for participation in the political process and the health and well-being of Oklahomans. How do we develop a state budget that reflects our priorities and a tax system that allows us to meet our needs? What’s holding Oklahomans back, and how can we fix it? That’s the focus of “Together Tuesdays”, a statewide tour sponsored by the Together Oklahoma coalition.
Read more from Together Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Teacher Of The Year Named
State Schools Superintendent Janet Barresi Tuesday named a high school math instructor as Oklahoma’s Teacher of the Year. Jason Scott Proctor garnered the honor from among 12 finalists during a ceremony at the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City. Proctor is Oklahoma’s 60th Teacher of the Year and the first from Tahlequah. He will represent Oklahoma in the National Teacher of the Year competition next spring.
Attorney challenges constitutionality of law to refurbish crumbling Oklahoma state Capitol
Attorney Jerry Fent has filed a formal objection to a law to refurbish the state Capitol, likely triggering an Oklahoma Supreme Court review of the measure. Fent, who has a long history of challenging laws he feels are unconstitutional, said issuance of $120 million in bonds for the project cannot take place until the court considers his objection. He said that since the law, House Joint Resolution 1033, is specific to only one building, this is a “special law” as defined in the Oklahoma Constitution. Bills that would create such laws must be published in a newspaper for four consecutive weeks before the measure is considered, according to the constitution. Fent said no such publication occurred.
Islamic group calls for protection following statements from Oklahoma lawmaker
Officials from the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Tuesday said they will “seek protection” following comments from an Oklahoma lawmaker. The group has called a news conference for 1 p.m. Wednesday in front of Oklahoma Republican Party headquarters, 4031 N Lincoln Blvd. The move comes after a town meeting Monday night in Sallisaw where state Rep. John Bennett said he would not back down from comments he made suggesting people should be wary of Muslim Americans. At the meeting, in front of about 85 constituents, Bennett said the Islamic faith “is a cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out.”
Mystery substance found in Okmulgee County’s Deep Fork River under investigation
A mystery substance found in an Okmulgee County river prompted an investigation by multiple agencies. The county’s Emergency Management Director, Tim Craighton, said a fisherman discovered the unknown substance floating in the Deep Fork River last week and reported it to a local game warden. Agencies from the local, state and federal level then joined the effort to identify the substance and its source. Craighton said so far no one has any answers despite receiving assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and both the state and federal Fish and Wildlife Services.
Putting a cap on water loss
As oil and natural gas companies continue to expand production during the ongoing drought, companies have increased their efforts to reduce water demand and protect the water they use. Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp. last year began experimenting in west Texas with covering the large pits it uses to collect water for use in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The process typically uses about 4 million gallons of water per well The pit covers are designed to reduce evaporation, saving the company millions in both dollars and gallons of water..
Allegations against OHP trooper accused of sexual assault detailed in report released Tuesday
Specific allegations of a sexual assault by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper of a woman he pulled over in June were detailed for the first time Tuesday in documents released by the Creek County District Attorney’s Office. Eric Roberts, a 16-year OHP trooper, stopped the 36-year-old woman on Interstate 44 in Creek County just after 2 p.m. June 15, offered her $20 for a lap dance and then instructed her “to use a U-Haul truck to move, so he could stop her and they could have sexual intercourse in the back” of the truck, an affidavit states.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Tulsa County Deputy In Custody For Sexual Assault
A Tulsa County Sheriff’s deputy is in custody for sexual assault. According to reports, Tuesday morning, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint of inappropriate behavior involving a deputy. According to records, a woman told officers that Nuckolls had shown up to her home around 4:00 Tuesday morning in full uniform and said he was there to investigate a 911 hangup. It says he took one of the women into his patrol car and questioned her, in the dark, for quite some time.
Fired Owasso police officer could return to work after court decision
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has cleared the way for an Owasso police officer who was fired in 2011 to return to work. The city of Owasso was notified Monday that the high court has withdrawn its June decision to review the case of former police Lt. Mike Denton, who was fired in 2011 because he violated the department’s use-of-force policy. In April, Denton was ordered reinstated by the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals. The city released a video in which Denton can be seen stepping on the head, stretching the handcuffed arms and elbowing the face of a Collinsville man who was arrested on a public intoxication complaint on June 30, 2011.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Private autopsy suggests asphyxia caused death during struggle at Warren Theatre
Results of a private autopsy on a man who died following a confrontation with police in front of the Moore Warren Theatre differ from a report by the state medical examiner. The private autopsy found Luis Rodriguez, 44, died from asphyxia, an attorney for Rodriguez’s widow said at a news conference Tuesday. “It contradicts what was found by the state medical examiner,” attorney Kenyatta R. Bethea said. Rodriguez died Feb. 15 following an encounter with five law enforcement officers outside the Warren Theatre in Moore.
Quote of the Day
“Later this month, you’ll have people who camp out at Apple stores across the country to try to get an iPhone 6 when it’s released. People will wait in line for hours and hours at a movie theater later this year when the new Hobbit movie comes out trying to get the best seat in the house. It all depends on one’s perspective, but when you talk about something as important as voting, I personally think it’s a right and responsibility of citizens and it’s worth investing a little bit of time in.”
-Oklahoma Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax, speaking about complaints of long lines at Oklahoma polling places in the 2012 general election. For voters seeking to avoid the lines, the Election Board is encouraging voting by mail (Source: http://bit.ly/1qY4Ufk)
Number of the Day
281,000
Number of the Oklahoma children whose parents lacked secure employment in 2012, 30 percent of all kids in the state.
Source: Annie E Casey Foundation 2014 Kids Count Data Book.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
So Bill Gates Has This Idea for a History Class …
In 2008, shortly after Bill Gates stepped down from his executive role at Microsoft, he often awoke in his 66,000-square-foot home on the eastern bank of Lake Washington and walked downstairs to his private gym in a baggy T-shirt, shorts, sneakers and black socks yanked up to the midcalf. Then, during an hour on the treadmill, Gates, a self-described nerd, would pass the time by watching DVDs from the Teaching Company’s “Great Courses” series. On some mornings, he would learn about geology or meteorology; on others, it would be oceanography or U.S. history. As Gates was working his way through the series, he stumbled upon a set of DVDs titled “Big History” — an unusual college course taught by a jovial, gesticulating professor from Australia named David Christian.
Read more from the New York Times.
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
