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.
Sustained low gas prices will force some tough decisions as state lawmakers return today to the Capitol. In her budget proposal today, Gov. Mary Fallin is expected to propose increased funding for corrections and education, while proposing cuts for almost every other state agency and raiding millions from agency revolving funds. Around 200 bills and resolutions dealing with education have been filed for the 55th Legislature, including a proposal by House Speaker pro-tem Lee Denney to build up to $600 million in off-the-top funding for common education over the next ten years.
At OK Policy’s State Budget Summit, panelists said tax break reform is unlikely to help with this year’s budget. The Tulsa World argued for making Oklahoma’s budget process more transparent. They shared a video of OK Policy Executive Director David Blatt discussing the budget. On the OK Policy Blog, Steve Lewis looked at the legislative agenda emerging from the more than 2,000 bills that have been filed for this session. OK Policy’s 2015 Legislative Primer can help you understand how Oklahoma’s legislative process works. The Oklahoman editorial board praised the Legislative Primer and other tools from OK Policy for following what’s happening in the Legislature.
The Oklahoman argued that lawmakers should stop proposing bills that would increase incarceration and rethink Oklahoma’s long prison sentences. An Oklahoma Watch investigation showed how Oklahomans convicted of nonviolent crimes face fines and fees that are difficult, if not impossible, to pay off after prison. While several states have banned conversion therapy for minors, a controversial practice that claims to “cure” gay people, Rep. Sally Kern has filed the first state law to protect the practice. Rep. Wesselhoft has filed a bill to prevent spying with drones without a warrant or equipping drones with weapons. Arnold Hamilton argued that news coverage too often focuses on the most extreme bills filed by legislators at the expense of proposals that deserve serious attention and debate.
Dr. Gerard Clancy described how access to health care in Oklahoma is too often driven by luck. Millions of federal dollars that Oklahoma had been spending on foster care for abused and neglected children will be shifted to pay for in-home services designed to keep troubled families together under a program set to begin in July. As a result, two emergency shelters for abused and neglected children will close in the next six to nine months. During his State of the Nation address on Saturday, Muskogee Creek Nation Chief George Tiger emphasized the hundreds of millions the tribe is investing in economic development. Oklahoma’s teen birth rate has decreased, but the rate is third-highest in the nation and well above the national average, according to new data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The state Department of Adult Protective Services released numbers showing reports of elder abuse and exploitation are on the rise in Oklahoma.
The Number of the Day is the health care expenditures per capita in Oklahoma in 2011, nearly 5 percent below the US average. In today’s Policy Note, Jared Bernstein explains why the U.S. needs fairer hiring practices for those with criminal records to put the country on the path to full employment.
Sustained low gas prices expected to force tough decisions at Capitol
Sustained low gas prices will force some tough decisions when state lawmakers return Monday to the Capitol. If low gas prices cause the energy industry to lay off employees, it will take a bite out of revenue the state gets from income, sales and motor vehicle taxes, forcing deeper cuts on state agencies. n December, the Board of Equalization met to determine how much money Gov. Mary Fallin will have to craft her proposed budget, which is a suggestion to lawmakers. The figure was $298.1 million or 4.1 percent less than the Legislature appropriated for fiscal year 2015.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Department of Corrections funding hike expected for Gov. Mary Fallin’s proposed budget
Gov. Mary Fallin is expected to propose increased funding for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections on Monday. Fallin will give her fifth state-of-the-state address to a joint session of the Legislature assembled in the House chamber. She will also release her executive budget, which is a recommendation for lawmakers. A portion of the DOC money will be used to fund the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, said her spokesman, Alex Weintz.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma House Speaker pro-tem Lee Denney seeks $600 million for common education in 12-year proposal
Education always gets a lot of attention during the legislative session, and this year is no exception. Around 200 bills and resolutions dealing with education have been filed for the 55th Legislature, which begins Monday. Perhaps the most ambitious measures are three by House Speaker Pro Tem Lee Denney, R-Cushing. Denney wants to create a new $600 million apportionment for common education, extend the school year, increase teacher pay and make it easier for Oklahoma City and Tulsa public schools to operate their own charter schools.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Lawmakers Unlikely to Cut Business Tax Breaks to Boost FY2016 Budget
Although Oklahoma faces a $300 million budget shortfall for next fiscal year, don’t expect lawmakers to slash business tax incentives to close the gap. Budget summit panelists this week said it’s unrealistic to think the legislature will put any of the state’s dozens of incentives on the chopping block this year.
Read more from Public Radio Tulsa.
Five ways to write a better state budget
For the past eight days, the Tulsa World has dedicated an extraordinary amount of space to how the state prioritizes spending, the Slicing the Budget Pie series. The last element in that series is the editorial that appears on this page. While we’re talking about how to spend the money in the budget, it makes some sense to talk about how the budget is written.
Read more from the Tulsa world.
See also:Budgetary Priorities: David Blatt discusses the budget from Tulsa World TV.
Legislative session at the starting gate
Last Thursday the final deadline before the beginning of session passed. It was the deadline for introduction of bills, and 2091 bills have been introduced in the House and Senate. Once session begins on February 2nd, the legislative process devolves into a series of sprints from one deadline to the next that eventually ends with the final constitutional deadline for sine die adjournment, the last Friday in May.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Good info to understand how Oklahoma’s legislative process works
For those who want to understand how Oklahoma’s legislative process works, the Oklahoma Policy Institute has released its latest Oklahoma Legislative Primer. The primer (https://okpolicy.org/resources/2015-oklahoma-legislative-primer) gives information on the composition of the Legislature and executive branch, the legislative calendar, how a bill becomes a law, the state budget process, and more. OK Policy has also created “What’s That?”, an online glossary of terms related to Oklahoma politics and government.
As 2015 session begins, big picture should be focus for Oklahoma lawmakers
A bill offered for the Legislature’s consideration in the session starting Monday underscores how difficult it could be for Oklahoma to begin thinking differently about crime and punishment. Rep. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, wants to increase prison sentences for those convicted of cattle theft. Instead of a minimum of three years and a maximum of 10, Murdock proposes a minimum of five years and a max of 15. “We need a strong statement to would-be thieves that says if you steal cattle, you’re going to receive a big penalty,” he said. What Oklahoma badly needs, instead, are lawmakers who are willing to consider reasonable alternatives to locking so many people away for long stretches.
Prisoners of Debt: Justice System Imposes Steep Fines, Fees
Darlene Lorenz was released from prison seven years ago. Today, at 65, Lorenz still feels like a captive. She owes $91,000 in court-imposed fines and other fees related to her case. Another life sentence. Lorenz is among the thousands of Oklahomans convicted of non-violent crimes, especially drug-related offenses, who face fines and fees that are difficult, if not impossible, to pay off after prison.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
First Ever Law To Protect Gay ‘Cure’ Proposed In Oklahoma
Gay rights advocates have made significant progress in the fight to discredit and ultimately ban conversion therapy, a practice that claims to “cure” gay people. The mainstream medical community is united in its view that the therapy is both ineffective and potentially harmful. So far, California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., have passed laws banning licensed therapists from subjecting minors to such treatment.
Read more from the Huffington Post.
“I don’t want the state spying on our citizens,” Oklahoma lawmaker aims to prevent spying with drones
While drones are rising in popularity, one Oklahoma lawmaker fears your privacy could be at stake. “We need some ground rules for this technology especially when it comes to spying on people,” Rep. Wesselhoft said. Representative Paul Wesselhoft says that is why he has written the Unmanned Aerial Surveillance Act.
Take the high road to common sense
This is the time when the Legislature’s dimmest bulbs shine brightest. Any state representative or senator with a broken crayon and a half-baked idea gets to propose legislation no matter how inane or offensive. Indeed, the more inane and offensive, the better the likelihood it will afford said lawmakers their 15 minutes in the media spotlight.
Read more from the Journal Record.
The lucky health care system
Since my Air Force days in the 1990s, when his music was played all over the base, I have been a big Garth Brooks fan. I was inspired to write this after attending a fabulous Garth Brooks concert at the BOK Center. When Garth described Oklahoma as a rare place of “common sense,” the concert crowd went wild.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma rethinking child welfare system
Millions of federal dollars that Oklahoma had been spending on foster care for abused and neglected children will be shifted to pay for in-home services designed to keep troubled families together under a program set to begin in July. “This is the most dramatic change that we will have made in child welfare in decades,” said Sheree Powell, spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services. Over the next four years, Oklahoma has obtained a federal waiver that will give the state flexibility in how it spends more than $381 million to improve child welfare.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: Tulsa’s Laura Dester youth shelter to be closed, DHS says from the Tulsa World
Tribe Boosting Oklahoma Economy With Nearly $1 Billion Investment, Creek Chief Says
Progress is the key theme of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and it was the message at the tribe’s State of the Nation address on Saturday. Much of that progress is being made through economic development. The state of Creek Nation is not only something that affects tribal members, it’s also something that affects Green Country as the Creek Nation continues to pump millions into Tulsa-area infrastructure.
Oklahoma teen pregnancy rate decreases
Oklahoma’s teen birth rate has decreased, but the rate is third-highest in the nation and well above the national average, according to new data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The Oklahoma average birth rate for 15- to 19-year-olds in 2013 was about 43 percent.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Elder abuse is on the rise in Oklahoma, officials say
A friendly, talkative Sandra Faye Keel greeted older women as they neared entrances to grocery or pet food stores, engaged them in conversation about church and religious issues, and then made sure the women got a big hug when the encounter concluded. She successfully distracted the women while she or her brother, Johnny Watkins, stole wallets from their purses and then used their credit cards for purchases around Oklahoma City, Warr Acres and Edmond.
Quote of the Day
“I think other agencies have to start looking at what are not just required services but essential services to the point where it is going to hurt.”
-State Auditor Gary Jones, speaking about the effect of the state’s growing budget hole (Source: bit.ly/163ObQi)
Number of the Day
$5,532
Health care expenditures per capita in Oklahoma in 2011, nearly 5 percent below the US average that year ($5,815).
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The Paths to Full Employment, Path 1: Fair-hiring practices for those with criminal records
One of the things I think about most in economic policy is how to get to full employment, defined as a very tight matchup between the number of jobs and job seekers. What is the policy agenda that will help generate an adequate quantity of quality jobs? What’s that? We’re already just about there (i.e., at full employment)? No way. True, the unemployment rate as measured is within spitting distance of the rate the Fed and the Congressional Budget Office argue is the lowest it can go without triggering inflation (the so-called “natural rate” of unemployment). But as I’ve argued in various places, that number is too high.
Read more from Jared Bernstein.
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
