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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.
Although same sex marriage is now legal in Oklahoma, couples seeking to change their name on state identification cards, such as a drivers’ licenses, may have to wait a few days as the Department of Public Safety and tag agencies work out a process. An attorney told NewsOK that private sector employers with self-funded health plans still can decide whether to extend health insurance benefits to same-sex spouses. With same-sex couples on front pages across the state, Oklahoman reporter Chris Casteel looked back to the first time the paper did a feature on gay and lesbian Oklahomans in 1983.
Almost simultaneously last night, debates were held for the state superintendent’s race, the open US Senate race, and local judicial candidates. U.S. Rep. James Lankford and state Sen. Connie Johnson differed on drug policy, same-sex marriage and use of military force as they brought their U.S. Senate campaigns to Oklahoma State University. The candidates for state superintendent squared off on the issues of Common Core standards, standardized testing and teacher pay at a debate in Claremore. The College Board is releasing SAT scores for the graduating class of 2014, and the news is good for Oklahoma, even though fewer students showed up to take the test. You can see the full Oklahoma SAT report here.
A state lawmaker said she will reintroduce legislation to require a DNA sample from everyone arrested for a felony in Oklahoma. The OK Policy Blog previously discussed how this kind of indiscriminate DNA testing can lead to innocent Oklahomans being wrongfully convicted. NewsOK reported that law enforcement agencies neglected to perform DNA tests on tens of thousands of people convicted of serious misdemeanors, despite a provision in state law for such testing. Inmates inside Okmulgee County jail are threatening to resume rioting due to severe overcrowding. Fox 25 reported on new hopes that Oklahoma will implement real corrections reforms. The OK Policy Blog previously discussed signs that Governor Fallin may begin supporting criminal justice reform.
The OK Policy Blog discussed how there are limited economic opportunities for women in Oklahoma and what we can do to fix that. Oklahoma Watch launched an online data center to search for useful and revealing facts about public agencies, cities and towns, and the state as a whole. The Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah has been gifted a heard of bison and will tend to the animals for the first time since the 1970s.
The Number of the Day is percentage of Oklahoma students who took the SAT in 2014 who met the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark. In today’s Policy Note, the Washington Post discussed a surprising Obamacare experiment that is improving health in low-income communities while saving taxpayers $24 million last year.
In The News
Same-Sex Married Couples Must Wait for New Drivers’ Licenses
Although same sex marriage is now legal in Oklahoma, newly married couples shouldn’t rush to their tag agent to change their driver’s license – just yet. Monday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex couples to be married in the Sooner State, but that quick turnaround hasn’t filtered down to other state offices. Couples seeking to change their name on state identification cards, such as a drivers’ licenses, may have to wait a few days.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
‘Love wins’ doesn’t guarantee dependent health benefits
Monday’s green light for same-sex couples to legally wed in Oklahoma makes it easier for those couples to qualify for federal tax, Social Security and other benefits that already have been approved for couples who wed in states that allow same-sex marriages. But it doesn’t mean that same-sex spouses who marry here necessarily will qualify for dependent health insurance benefits. Private sector employers with self-funded plans still can decide whether they want to extend health insurance benefits to same-sex spouses, said Alison Howard, a health care attorney with Crowe & Dunlevy law firm.
Same-sex couples and the front page of The Oklahoman
This morning, I was looking at the front page of The Oklahoman and the picture of the same-sex couple getting a marriage license in Oklahoma County. It reminded me of a front page from The Sunday Oklahoman in the spring of 1983, when I was working in the Norman bureau of The Oklahoman and Times. I didn’t work on the series in any capacity. But Terrie Clifford, one of the reporters/writers on the project, also worked in the Norman bureau, so I heard about some of the struggles of the people interviewed for the series and the struggles internally to get the series published.
Three election events, one night
In a sense, it’s Super Tuesday in Oklahoma, and that’s too bad. Almost simultaneously, candidates in three sets of races will face off Tuesday night at three locations. With the midterm elections a month away, it’s a shame that all three events are happening at the same time. Republican U.S. Rep. James Lankford and Democratic state Sen. Constance Johnson had their one and only debate at 7 p.m. at Oklahoma State University. Democrat John Cox and Republican Joy Hofmeister — the surviving candidates for the state schools superintendent post — debated at 7 p.m. at Rogers State University’s Centennial Center. Meanwhile, the League of Women Voters and the Tulsa County Bar Association hosted a forum for local judicial candidates at 6:30 pm.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
U.S. Senate candidates differ on military, drugs and marriage rights
U.S. Rep. James Lankford and state Sen. Connie Johnson differed on drug policy, same-sex marriage and use of military force as they brought their U.S. Senate campaigns to Oklahoma State University on Tuesday evening. Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, and Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, maintained a cordial tone throughout the one-hour debate, which was live-streamed on a university website, with questions posed by moderator Brandon Lenoir, a visiting OSU assistant professor in political science. Major political differences were immediately apparent as Lankford, a fast-rising conservative in Washington, faced off against Johnson, a rare liberal voice in the Republican-controlled Oklahoma Legislature.
Oklahoma superintendent candidates square off at forum
The candidates for state superintendent squared off on the issues of Common Core standards, standardized testing and teacher pay at a taped debate Tuesday in Claremore. The event at Rogers State University featuring Republican Joy Hofmeister and Democrat John Cox will be televised by RSU-TV, broadcast channel 35 and Cox cable channel 109 at 8 p.m. Oct. 14. RSU-TV is also carried by area cable and satellite television providers.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma Class of 2014 SAT scores released, brings good news and promise
The College Board is releasing SAT scores for the graduating class of 2014, and the news is good for Oklahoma, even though fewer students showed up to take the test. 69% of test takers met the college benchmark score of 1550, according to the Oklahoma State Dept. of Education. Also, the number of students achieving the benchmark score is above the national average of 42.6%. However, not as many students in Oklahoma took the test this year. Only 4.5% of Oklahoma’s high school graduating class of 2014 were tested.
Lawmaker says she will introduce legislation calling for DNA upon felony arrest
A state lawmaker said she will introduce legislation to require a DNA sample from those arrested for felonies. Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing, said the issue has been on her mind as she has talked to the families of murder victims. Supporters believe that if DNA is available for comparison, it will solve more crimes and prevent additional crimes from being committed. The House Public Safety Committee on Tuesday heard from supporters of the measure.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: Indiscriminate DNA testing could put innocent Oklahomans in prison from the OK Policy Blog.
Thousands of DNA tests are not being performed in Oklahoma
Law enforcement agencies neglected to perform DNA tests on tens of thousands of people convicted of serious misdemeanors, despite a provision in state law for such testing, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation officials said at a hearing Tuesday. People convicted of felonies are routinely tested, with their DNA profiles going into a database used by authorities to get leads on serious crimes. Those convicted of 18 categories of serious misdemeanors, including negligent homicide, resisting arrest, and breaking and entering, can be tested, but these tests are usually not done, said Andrea Swiech, OSBI division director.
Inmates threaten more riots inside Okmulgee County jail due to overcrowding
It’s possibly the most dangerous jail in Oklahoma right now. Inmates inside Okmulgee County jail threaten to resume rioting because they’re so cooped up. A few weeks ago, they broke sprinkler heads, flooded a pod, and started a fire with electrical wires. They threatened to do it again Tuesday if the jail director didn’t call the media. 2NEWS is the only station taking you inside the jail with our camera. Reporter Liz Bryant found that by no means is it a filthy place, there’s just nowhere for inmates to sleep besides on the floor or in what they call “a boat”.
New hope for Justice Reinvestment success
It was a plan that was promised to be smart and tough on crime all while saving the state millions of dollars over the next decade. But supporters of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, or JRI, say the program almost stalled out shortly after it was signed into law. But now there is a renewed effort to make JRI a success. “The focus has to be on moving forward collectively and together,” said Kris Steele, the former Speaker of the Oklahoma House and current director of The Education and Employment Ministry, “For the governor to ultimately step up and exercise leadership on this position is ultimately going to make the difference between success and failure.”
See also: Has Governor Fallin turned a corner on criminal justice reform? from the OK Policy Blog
Oklahoma women have few economic opportunities. Here’s how we can fix that.
A report released last month from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) ranked all 50 states on economic opportunity for women. Oklahoma came in 43rd. However, a careful reading of the report shows that it’s not just women who are in trouble economically. In Oklahoma, both men and women are struggling to get ahead.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma Watch Introduces Data Center
How much do state officials and employees make? How much money per student does your school district spend? Is crime going up or down in your city or town? Good questions. Oklahoma Watch regularly examines public money, education and many other issues, raising questions and, in some cases, alarms. Now it is making available to readers a one-stop place to search for useful and revealing facts about public agencies, cities and towns, and the state as a whole.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma Gifted Bison Herd
The Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah has been gifted a heard of bison and will tend to the animals for the first time since the 1970s. The tribe announced the award from the InterTribal Buffalo Council on Monday. The 40 animals are excess bison from North Dakota and the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. They will arrive by mid-October. Those sites combine for about 800 head of surplus bison each year.
Read more from Public Radio Tulsa.
Quote of the Day
“Imagine being locked in your bathroom for a decade… It’s that kind of existence, but surrounded by violence, indifference and mental illness in the people around you… I had to get over that shock, the disbelief that I’m not supposed to be here… Because nobody wants to here that and the truth is, that’s where you live now, that’s your home.”
– Oklahoma death row exoneree Curtis McCarty, who spent more than 20 years on death row before he was cleared by DNA testing. (source: bit.ly/1vJdEpp)
Number of the Day
69.6%
Percentage of Oklahoma students who took the SAT in 2014 who met the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark.
Source: The 2014 College Board Program Results.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The surprising Obamacare experiment that saved taxpayers $24 million last year
The social worker pulls on blue latex gloves and a surgical face mask. She steps into the hospital room, where sheer curtains dim the September afternoon sunlight. James Watley, 53, sits upright in bed, recovering from a bone marrow transplant. He’s sipping ginger ale through a straw. An orange rests at his hip, as though he’s guarding it. Unprompted, Watley makes his case to stay. “I can’t go back,” he tells her, softly. “This is it. The last stand. Next one’s the box.” He came here from a Brooklyn homeless shelter, where his oxygen tank was considered a fire hazard. It’s at least an hour by subway from the Montefiore Medical Center in the Northwest Bronx, where he receives treatment for blood cancer. Last time, he fainted on the train.
Read more from the Washington Post.
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