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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know.
This Week from OK Policy
This week on the OK Policy Blog, summer intern Kylie Thomas examined how a new federal education law could change how we fund high-poverty schools. Executive Director David Blatt argued against Oklahoma’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad runoffs. Policy Analyst Carly Putnam pointed out that Oklahoma is missing a big opportunity to improve mental illness and addiction treatment by refusing to expand Medicaid coverage.
In his Journal Record column, Blatt warned that four-day school weeks will leave more kids hungry. Steve Lewis’s Capitol Update flagged nine Senate races to watch this November. In a guest post, Georgetown professors Deborah Phillips and William Gormley reported on their new research that found that the Tulsa Head Start program produces lasting gains.
Upcoming Opportunities
- In October, we’ll be hosting two Fall Policy Boot Camps (FallPol), one-day policy trainings on the state budget, criminal justice reform, poverty, and other critical policy issues affecting our state, as well as breakout sessions on the legislative process, diversity and inclusion, advocacy, and research techniques. FallPol Tulsa will be held at OSU-Tulsa on Friday, October 14, and FallPol Edmond will be held at Oklahoma Christian University on Saturday, October 15. Further details, including agendas, can be found here.
- We’re pleased to welcome author Tamara Draut to discuss her recent book, Sleeping Giant: How the New Working Class Will Transform America, in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. On Wednesday, October 5, at7pm, Draut will discuss the book at the Woody Guthrie Center with BookSmart Tulsa. Click here to learn more and RSVP. On Thursday, October 6th, Draut will be the featured speaker at the Central Oklahoma Community Forum’s 2016 Labor-Religion luncheon at11:30am at Fairview Baptist Church (1700 Northeast 7th Street, Oklahoma City). Lunch will be served free of charge, but space is limited. You must register in advance no later than Thursday, September 29th by calling Linda Smith at (405) 634-4030 or by emailing cocforum@sbcglobal.net. Learn more about both events here.
OK Policy in the News
The Oklahoman quoted Blatt’s reaction to Oklahoma Health Care Authority CEO Nico Gomez’s resignation. NewsOn6 interviewed Policy Director Gene Perry for a story on school vouchers. Policy Analyst DeVon Douglass spoke about new federal regulations on payday loans in NewsOK’s article about a coalition of faith leaders and advocacy groups speaking out against predatory lending.
Weekly What’s That
Oklahoma Health Care Authority
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is a state government agency responsible for administering the state’s Medicaid program. OHCA’s mission is to “responsibly purchase state and federally-funded health care in the most efficient and comprehensive manner possible; to analyze and recommend strategies for optimizing the accessibility and quality of health care; and, to cultivate relationships to improve the health outcomes of Oklahomans.”
Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.
Quote of the Week
“My frustration is the lack of engagement of the citizens in issues around local and state government. I just think the Legislature represents the voters who happen to be engaged in the process. My concern is with the lack of voter participation. Are people really paying attention?”
– Outgoing Oklahoma Health Care Authority CEO Nico Gomez (Source)
Editorial of the Week
New York Times Editorial Board
But in states with the biggest school-budget cuts, much of the pain is self-inflicted, because they have cut income taxes in recent years, creating budget shortfalls that make it impossible to adequately finance their schools. Kansas is the most notorious for such counterproductive tax cuts; other offenders include Arizona, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Oklahoma, in particular, is vying with its neighbor Kansas for the title of most fiscally reckless. Repeated cuts to Oklahoma’s income tax have resulted in deep and chronic budget shortfalls, and yet the top tax rate went down again in January, from 5.25 percent to 5 percent. The lost revenue has been offset in part by a reduction in the amount of assistance the poorest Oklahomans can derive from the state’s earned-income tax credit.
Numbers of the Day
- -1% – Change in the cost of premiums across all plans on Oklahoma’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, 2014-2015.
- 1,086 – Total number of girls in Oklahoma public schools who reported being bullied or harassed based on their gender in 2011-2012. There were 845 boys reporting for the same reason.
- 10th – Oklahoma’s ranking for energy consumed per capita in 2014 (433 million Btu)
- 4,057 – Number of students who came from out-of-state to attend an Oklahoma public college in 2014, compared to 1,177 who left Oklahoma for other states.
- 27.36 – Black homicide victims per 100,000 black residents in Oklahoma (2013), the 5th highest rate in the country.
See previous Numbers of the Day and sources here.
What We’re Reading
- Unpaid and Unpartisan [New America]
- I’m a Judge and I Think Criminal Court Is Horrifying [The Marshall Project]
- Incomes Fell for Poorest Children of Single Mothers in Welfare Law’s First Decade [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
- Obamacare is helping more poor patients get to the doctor even as political battles continue [Los Angeles Times]
- How the ‘war on drugs’ entrenches patterns of drug addiction [Aeon]
