[Weekly Wonk] A Better Path Forward Report Release and Conversation | Addressing teacher pay | More

View this email in your browser. 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 A Better Path Forward: A Budget and Tax Roadmap for Oklahoma: A Better Path Forward is a comprehensive report from the Oklahoma Policy Institute detailing how the state cut nearly a quarter of the state’s budget capacity and the implications of those decisions. More importantly, the report includes a menu of budget and tax reforms that can provide vital state revenue while bringing more fairness to the state’s tax system. [Oklahoma Policy Institute] A Better Path Forward: Report Release and Conversation [OK Policy / YouTube] Policy Matters: Finding a better path forward: Anyone who follows Oklahoma government knows our state revenue is extremely susceptible to boom and bust cycles. A volatile revenue base, combined with decades of tax cuts by lawmakers, has left Oklahoma ill-prepared to deliver essential shared services to its residents. Our friends and neighbors who are feeling the greatest impact — and comparatively carrying the largest share of tax burden — are the ones who can least afford it. [Ahniwake Rose / The Journal Record] Interim study examines teacher pay (Capitol Update): In the wake of an alarming teacher shortage in Oklahoma, there was an interim study last week in the Senate Appropriations committee requested by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant. The purpose of the study was to look at “qualitative pay” for teachers. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update] Weekly What’s That Sales Tax Relief Credit The Sales Tax Relief Credit, sometimes known as the “grocery tax credit,” is an income tax credit that provides a rebate of $40 per household member to households with incomes at or below the following levels: $50,000 per year for filers who are elderly, have a physical disability, or claim a dependent; or $20,000 per year for everyone else. The credit was first enacted in 1990 as part of the legislative compromise that led to the passage of House Bill 1017 and was intended to offset the sales tax on groceries for low-income households. Eligibility for the credit was expanded in 1998 but the amount has never been increased. The credit was claimed by 385,362 households in FY 2018 for a total of $1.2 million, according to the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s Tax Expenditure Report. Some 780,000 Oklahomans received the credit in 2018, or roughly one-fifthof the state’s population. However, over time, as incomes rise while eligibility for the credit remains flat, the number of recipients of the sales tax relief credit has been declining.  The credit is refundable, meaning that it can be claimed in an amount that exceeds a taxpayer’s tax liability. Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here. Quote of the Week “Our current tax structure also requires low- and middle-class taxpayers to pay a higher portion of their income than wealthier Oklahomans. These tax policy choices contribute to and perpetuate inequities based on race, ethnicity, gender and location, making it harder for historically marginalized groups to catch up and get ahead. But it doesn’t have to be this way.” — Ahniwake Rose, OK Policy Executive Director [Ahniwake Rose / The Journal Record] Editorial of the Week Much to consider in redistricting Oklahoma lawmakers will be back at the Capitol next month to reapportion the state's congressional districts and make adjustments to legislative districts that will have to be redrawn to match population migrations revealed by the 2020 Census. Census data show a sizable number of Oklahomans migrated toward the state's urban and suburban centers. Nearly half of all Oklahoma residents live in just four counties — Canadian, Cleveland, Oklahoma and Tulsa counties — and about 20% of the state's residents live in Oklahoma County. While reapportionment requires districts be drawn with roughly about the same number of people within each one, lawmakers must reject any plan that would marginalize rural Oklahomans. Three of the state's five congressional districts are influenced by urban and suburban centers with concentrated populations — any more would be overkill. In addition to considering population, state lawmakers need to take into consideration economic interests and historical precedent that make rural Oklahoma unique. Interests shared among rural residents in one part of the state differ dramatically from those in other parts of the state, and those differences also should be considered. We appreciate efforts of lawmakers to conduct public meetings during the past several months during the reapportionment and redistricting process. While the process may be more transparent than in the past, it's difficult to swallow any assertion the process has been free from partisan politics. There have been too many examples of times when districts have been drawn in ways that marginalize voters and diminish their will. New tools available today — online interactive maps — potentially could help voters hold lawmakers accountable as they draw maps that could influence the outcome of elections during the next decade. In the event those tools don't help, we would urge lawmakers to do the right thing: Give a voice to all Oklahomans. [Muskogee Phoenix] Numbers of the Day $435 million - The accumulated state budget savings since 2001 due to a 64 percent decline in youth detention costs, according to a 2019 Open Justice Oklahoma report. [Open Justice Oklahoma] 91%- Percentage of Oklahoma low-income households who are using monthly Child Tax Credit Payments to pay for basic needs (food, clothing, rent, mortgage, utilities), which is three points higher than the national average [CBPP] 5th - Oklahoma is the 5th highest tax state for low-income earners. In addition, Oklahomans carry tax obligations unequally: The lowest 20 percent of earners pay 13.2 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 20 percent (making $89,100 or more) pays just 8.2 percent. [OK Policy] $2.1 billion - If Oklahoma had maintained its state and local taxes at its 2004 level, the state budget would have been $2.1 billion higher in 2017 than it actually was. [OK Policy] What We’re Reading Studies Show Dramatic Racial Disparities in Front End of Juvenile Justice System [Annie E. Casey Foundation] 9 in 10 Families With Low Incomes Are Using Child Tax Credits to Pay for Necessities, Education [CBPP] A Better Path Forward: A Budget and Tax Roadmap for Oklahoma [OK Policy] State Income Taxes and Racial Equity: Narrowing Racial Income and Wealth Gaps with State Personal Income Taxes [ITEP] Connect with Us   Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S Detroit Ave, Suite 1005 Tulsa, OK 74120 (918) 794-3944 info@okpolicy.org Unsubscribe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[In The Know] Convulsions during Oklahoma's 1st execution in 7 years | New record for emergency certified teachers | More

View this email in your browser. In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories may be behind paywall or require subscription. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma's state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Click here to subscribe to In The Know and click here see past editions. Oklahoma News Condemned man went into convulsions during Oklahoma’s first execution in nearly seven years: John Marion Grant went into “full-body convulsions” then vomited on himself twice as he was put to death on Thursday after a last-minute U.S. Supreme Court decision cleared the way for Oklahoma to conduct its first execution in nearly seven years. The 60-year-old convicted killer went into “about two dozen full body convulsions” when midazolam, the first drug in Oklahoma’s three-drug lethal injection protocol, entered his system, according to Sean Murphy, a reporter with the Associated Press who witnessed Thursday’s execution. [The Frontier] Someone vomiting while being executed is rare, according to observers. [AP News] The execution came less than two hours after the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-3 to vacate a stay of execution for John Marion Grant. Officials with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections administered a lethal concoction of drugs that made Grant the first man executed by the state in more than six years. [NonDoc] Up next is high-profile death row inmate Julius Jones. [The Oklahoman] The stay for Jones was also dissolved Thursday by the Supreme Court. [Tulsa World] More from [KOSU] | [OKC Free Press] | [The Black Wall Street Times] Timeline of events involving capital punishment in Oklahoma [AP News] Who was John Grant? What we know about the first person to be executed in Oklahoma since 2015. [The Oklahoman] | [The Oklahoman] Oklahoma carries out first execution in six years [Reuters] Teacher shortage milestone: New record set for nonaccredited teachers given emergency certification in Oklahoma: Oklahoma public schools’ reliance on filling teaching vacancies with teachers who are not accredited for the position has reached a record high and is likely to continue climbing during the current academic year. On Thursday, the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved another 254 emergency teacher certifications for school districts that reported having no certified candidates to hire. That brings the year-to-date total since June 1 to 3,428, exceeding the state’s previous record of 3,321, set in 2019-20. [Tulsa World] Health News Oklahoma’s recent COVID-19 hospitalization spike created a strain on oxygen — and not just for hospitals: Throughout late August and early September, Oklahoma’s COVID-19 hospitalization figures rivaled those of the post-Christmas surge. Oklahoma was back to shipping patients out of state because of capacity issues, which ranged from nursing shortages to a simple lack of empty beds. One resulting strain kind of missed the spotlight: oxygen. [StateImpact Oklahoma] The Source podcast: Turmoil at the Oklahoma health department: Oklahoman reporter Carmen Forman joins the podcast this week to talk about a recent court settlement over birth certificates and how, at least for now, Oklahoma can recognize someone as being non-binary. [The Oklahoman] State Government News Report: First-time claims for state unemployment increased nearly 41%: Initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Oklahoma last week increased at their fastest rate since May, climbing nearly 41% since the prior week, according to a government report. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that 3,077 workers filed first-time claims for unemployment assistance for the week ending Saturday with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. [Tulsa World] Judge briefly blocks parts of Oklahoma law limiting protests: An Oklahoma federal judge has temporarily blocked parts of a new state law that makes it a misdemeanor for people to unlawfully obstruct a public street or highway during a protest. U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron also put on hold Wednesday a provision that could result in fines of up $50,000 for groups or organizations “found to be a conspirator” with someone who violates any one of a number of state laws pertaining to riots and unlawful assemblies. [AP News] Health commissioner resigns, abortion bills halted and more: This Week in Oklahoma Politics discusses the resignation of Health Commissioner Lance Frye a day after his agency settled a lawsuit allowing nonbinary Oklahomans to the gender on their birth certificates and an appellate court puts executions on hold again after granting stays for two death row inmates. [KOSU] Study: Oklahoma among nation’s least safe states: Oklahoma is the fifth least safe state in the nation – ahead of only Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana – according to a study released this week by the personal-finance website WalletHub. WalletHub compared the 50 states across 55 metrics in five categories. The data set ranges from the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is one metric where Oklahoma ranked high, eighth best with 3.7% unemployment. [The Journal Record] Federal Government News 2020 Census: Big cities grew and became more diverse, especially among their youth: In 2000, the white population represented over half of residents in 25 of these 50 cities; this fell to 17 cities in 2010 and 14 cities in 2020. Newly designated minority-white cities since 2010 are Jacksonville, Fla., Tulsa, Okla., and Oklahoma City. Yet even the “whitest” big cities in 2020, Portland, Ore., Colorado Springs, Colo., and Omaha, Neb. were less than 70% white. [Brookings] Tribal Nations News ‘A great woman’: Female tribal leaders praise planned Wilma Mankiller quarter: The design has been chosen for a new quarter honoring Wilma Mankiller. It will be the third coin of the American Women Quarters program, which will begin circulating in 2022. The selection of Mankiller, who was the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, was announced in June by the U.S. Mint. [NonDoc] Economic Opportunity Residents hope to remain center of continued development on OKC's east side: As growth progresses in north east Oklahoma City, residents and black business owners are continuing to push developers and city officials to ensure they have the right intentions. During a Tuesday town hall hosted by Ward 7 City Councilwoman Nikki Nice, multiple recently completed, proposed and in progress projects throughout the neighborhood were discussed. [The Oklahoman] Primary care services are coming soon to former Sequoyah Elementary, now a health center: Primary care services are coming soon inside what was once an elementary school in northwest Oklahoma City, the latest development in the transformation of the building into a community health and wellness center. [The Oklahoman] Close to $200K in affordable housing assistance approved for north Tulsa rental home project: The Tulsa Authority for Economic Development on Thursday OK’d negotiating an agreement that would offer a local redeveloper $187,000 in affordable housing assistance for a rental-home project. [Tulsa World] Economy & Business News Aviation workers protest vaccine mandates at American Airlines, Spirit AeroSystems: Protesters against airline COVID-19 vaccine mandates and President Joe Biden stood firm Thursday afternoon, just as Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Sherwood instructed earlier this week. [Tulsa World] Education News State board lifts certificate suspension of former Ninnekah High School principal: The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Thursday lifted the emergency suspension of former Ninnekah High School principal David Pitts’ educator certificate, pending a formal revocation hearing. [NonDoc] Tulsa school board member seeking financial audit of district: A member of the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education is asking the state auditor to take a look at the district’s financial records. Claiming that he has been denied access to the records, District 6 representative Jerry Griffin made a public request Wednesday afternoon for State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd to conduct a forensic audit of the district’s finances for the last six years. [Tulsa World] Quote of the Day "The concerns are displacement and in five years, will you still be able to tell that we were ever here? We've seen it several times. You drive through the Innovation District, you drive through Deep Deuce, there's no way to even know that those were prominent Black communities with prominent Black businesses." —Jabee Williams, an east side resident, business owner, artist and activist. [The Oklahoman] Number of the Day $2.1 billion If Oklahoma had maintained its state and local taxes at its 2004 level, the state budget would have been $2.1 billion higher in 2017 than it actually was. [Source: A Better Path Forward by Oklahoma Policy Institute] Policy Note State Income Taxes and Racial Equity: Narrowing Racial Income and Wealth Gaps with State Personal Income Taxes: Fully addressing disparities will require a concerted effort across policy areas at all levels of government. This report focuses on one of many areas where state governments can advance racial equity: personal income tax reform. Specifically, this report recommends reforming the tax treatment of investment, business, and retirement income as well as homeownership and various tax credits for families. [ITEP] You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail. Connect with Us   Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S Detroit Ave, Suite 1005 Tulsa, OK 74120 (918) 794-3944 info@okpolicy.org Unsubscribe

 

 

 

[In The Know] A Better Path Forward, budget and tax roadmap for Oklahoma | Planned executions halted | More

View this email in your browser. In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories may be behind paywall or require subscription. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma's state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Click here to subscribe to In The Know and click here see past editions. New from OK Policy A Better Path Forward: A Budget and Tax Roadmap for Oklahoma: A Better Path Forward is a comprehensive report from the Oklahoma Policy Institute detailing how the state cut nearly a quarter of the state’s budget capacity and the implications of those decisions. More importantly, the report includes a menu of budget and tax reforms that can provide vital state revenue while bringing more fairness to the state’s tax system. [Oklahoma Policy Institute] From OK Policy, a new report proposing various tax and budget reforms: "A Better Path Forward" [Public Radio Tulsa] Policy Matters: Finding a better path forward: Anyone who follows Oklahoma government knows our state revenue is extremely susceptible to boom and bust cycles. A volatile revenue base, combined with decades of tax cuts by lawmakers, has left Oklahoma ill-prepared to deliver essential shared services to its residents. Our friends and neighbors who are feeling the greatest impact — and comparatively carrying the largest share of tax burden — are the ones who can least afford it. [Ahniwake Rose / The Journal Record] Oklahoma News A federal appeals court has halted Oklahoma’s first planned executions in six years: A federal appeals court has halted Oklahoma’s planned executions of John Marion Grant and Julius Jones, ruling that a lower court had “abused its discretion” in removing the men from a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol and ruling against their injunction request earlier this week. [The Frontier] In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily granted John Marion Grant and Julius Jones stays of their pending executions today, stalling Oklahoma’s first attempt to carry out the death penalty in more than six years. Three other death-row inmates who were plaintiffs in the appeal did not receive stays of their executions. [NonDoc] The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office announced Wednesday afternoon it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s uncertain how long the Supreme Court will take to respond. [Oklahoma Watch] Oklahoma has historically had one of the nation’s busiest death chambers, but a series of problematic lethal injections in 2014 and 2015 led to a de facto moratorium. [AP News] Death row inmates Julius Jones, John Grant get execution stays [The Oklahoman] | [Tulsa World] | [AP News] | [Reuters] | [KOSU] | [The Black Wall Street Times] On eve of execution, attorneys seek information on drugs or halt to lethal injection [Public Radio Tulsa] Lethal injection drugs available for all scheduled executions, Oklahoma officials say [The Oklahoman] Poll: Oklahomans continue to strongly support capital punishment [The Oklahoman] Lots of litigation: Catch up on several key court cases: Lawsuits come, lawsuits go and lawyers make money. In the state of Oklahoma, several high-profile lawsuits have been working their way through district and appellate courts at both the state and federal level. Keeping tabs on all the filings, responses and rulings can be incredibly time-consuming and difficult, even for professional newsrooms. This week, NonDoc's team summarized a handful of noteworthy lawsuits involving state government, tribal sovereignty, influential organizations and interesting individuals. [NonDoc]  Health News Oklahoma launches ‘self-serve’ COVID-19 case investigation portal: The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) says it’s shifting focus from its current system of COVID-19 case investigation to Oklahomans doing the work themselves. The new OSDH Case Investigation (OSDHCI) system is scheduled to launch Monday, Nov. 1, where the public can conduct their own case investigations and contact tracing. [KFOR] Seven-day average of Oklahoma virus cases dips below 1,000 [AP News] As cases decline, experts urge vigilance [The Journal Record] University of Tulsa to require COVID-19 vaccines for employees by Dec. 8 [Tulsa World] | [Public Radio Tulsa] Oklahoma City Zoo high-risk animals receive first dose of Zoetis COVID-19 vaccine [The Oklahoman] | [The Journal Record] University of Utah research leader will be OMRF's next president: Dr. Andrew Weyrich, whose discoveries in blood-clotting research have earned him international recognition, will be the next president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. He will succeed Dr. Stephen Prescott — a mentor and colleague of Weyrich’s — and interim president Adam Cohen to lead OMRF. Prescott, who was OMRF’s president for 15 years, died in May of cancer complications. [The Oklahoman] Opinion: Limited broadband access jeopardizes mental health: The gap between those who have broadband access in Oklahoma and those who do not has been widening for a long time. It was a significant problem for our state before COVID-19 and became a major crisis after we entered the pandemic and a huge range of activities moved online. [Joy Sloan / NonDoc] State & Local Government News Judge temporarily blocks parts of new Oklahoma law limiting protests, protecting drivers: An Oklahoma federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked parts of a new law that could limit protests. U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron granted a preliminary injunction to prevent two parts of House Bill 1674, commonly known as the law that grants immunity to drivers who hurt or kill a pedestrian while "fleeing" from a riot, from taking effect Monday. [The Oklahoman] Tulsa Mayor outlines plan for spending more than half of city's American Rescue Plan Act funding: Mayor G.T. Bynum unveiled a proposal Wednesday to allocate $50.2 million of the city’s nearly $88 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. The largest allocation, $17.1 million, would go for public safety, including nearly $9 million for a new fleet of Fire Department vehicles, and $3.6 million to replace old police body cameras. [Tulsa World] Three key State Health Department resignations were unrelated to commissioner's exit, interim leader says: Three other recent high-profile resignations at the Oklahoma State Department of Health aren’t tied to the state health commissioner’s departure, the interim leader of the agency said Wednesday. [Tulsa World] Interim commissioner: state health department 'well positioned' despite spate of resignations [Public Radio Tulsa] Oklahoma Senate president pro tem announces new leadership: Republican State Sen. Greg Treat on Wednesday announced changes in GOP leadership positions in the Oklahoma Senate. Sen. Greg McCortney was named majority floor leader, replacing Sen. Kim David, who is term-limited and has announced plans to run for the state Corporation Commission. [AP News] Lawmakers consider allowing counties authority to adopt ordinances: A state lawmaker said she’ll likely author legislation in the coming year to afford county governments in Oklahoma authority to adopt ordinances. [The Journal Record] 'Treated like every other citizen': How a former Oklahoman got a nonbinary birth certificate: An Oregon resident who was born and raised in Oklahoma made history this month when they successfully petitioned the state to amend their birth certificate to include a gender-neutral birth marker. [The Oklahoman] Federal Government News Researchers worry about Census' gap in 2020 survey data: Researchers are worried about coronavirus-related disruptions to one of the U.S. Census Bureau's most important surveys about how Americans live, saying a gap in the 2020 data will make it more difficult to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and measure year-to-year changes. [The Lawton Constitution] Inhofe, GOP senators introduce bill that would prevent unvaccinated workers from being fired: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., joined U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. — the author of the bill — and several other Republican senators Tuesday to introduce the “Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed Act” in an effort to prevent unvaccinated essential workers from getting fired due to President Joe Biden’s September action mandating that employers with more than 100 employees require their employees to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, according to a news release. [Tulsa World] Tribal Nations News 'Blindsided' by Tulsa's call to overturn McGirt, commission asks Bynum to withdraw SCOTUS brief: The Greater Tulsa Indian Affairs Commission wants Mayor G.T. Bynum to withdraw a brief filed last week in support of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s attempt to have the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma. [Public Radio Tulsa] The friend-of-the-court, or amicus, briefs were filed in the United States Supreme Court by law enforcement agencies, business groups, four states and two cities in support of Oklahoma's petition to overturn McGirt v. Oklahoma, the landmark ruling that affirmed the tribal reservation status of much of eastern Oklahoma. [KOSU] After more than an hour of public comments from a standing room only crowd, the Greater Tulsa Indian Affairs Commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Wednesday night to send a letter to Mayor G.T. Bynum and the Tulsa City Council requesting that the city withdraw its amicus brief in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta. [Tulsa World] Arrest, protective order disclosures part of Cherokee Nation effort to combat domestic violence: A Cherokee Nation task force has launched to continue work on improving the tribe’s response to domestic violence as a new policy will require tribal employees to disclose their arrest history, as well as protective orders. [Tulsa World] Economic Opportunity Oklahoma human services department works to stabilize child care sector with grants, support: Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) announced this summer that additional coronavirus relief dollars authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) will be used to provide stabilization grants to the child care industry as well as incentivize quality improvement, access to care and workforce development in order to support Oklahoma children and families. [The Daily Ardmoreite] Organization hosting event to help Oklahomans with rental assistance: Oklahomans who need help with rental assistance can get help at a local event. Community Cares Partners has partnered with OKC First Church of the Nazarene to help families apply for rental and utility assistance through Emergency Rental Assistance funds. [KFOR] Economy & Business News U.S. demand for oil surges, depleting tanks in Oklahoma: Crude oil tanks at the Cushing, Oklahoma storage and delivery hub for U.S. crude futures are more depleted than they have been in the last three years, and prices of further dated oil contracts suggest they will stay lower for months. [Reuters] Beef prices expected to surge through 2021: Beef prices at the grocery store that have surged with the pandemic won’t be going down any time soon, experts say. “Prices are starting to go up for cattle producers. They already have for consumers,” said Derrell Peel, professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. [The Journal Record] Education News 'Best of what our state has to offer our children': Oklahoma top teacher finalists announced: The 12 finalists for next year's Teacher of the Year award were announced during a special event Tuesday morning at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. All finalists were selected to be teachers of the year for their individual districts or schools after their applications were reviewed by a panel of educators, lawmakers and civic leaders. [The Oklahoman] The group represents a broad spectrum of teachers, teaching styles, school districts, and classroom settings. [OKC Free Press] College enrollment appears to be dropping in Oklahoma: A preliminary survey of Oklahoma’s higher education institutions shows that college enrollment has fallen roughly two percent in fall 2021, when compared to fall 2020. The figures come from a preliminary report given to Oklahoma’s State Regents for Higher Education last week. [KOSU] General News Mexican government announces plan for OKC consulate: Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Monday its intention to open two new consulates, one in Oklahoma City and another in New Jersey. The OKC consulate and the New Jersey consulate are being created to increase the capacity of the Mexican government’s consular network and deal with recent demographic changes in the Mexican community in the U.S. [NonDoc] Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard cited a backlog in services created by the pandemic and a desire to adjust along with demographic changes of the Mexican community within the United States as rationale for the additions and modifications to existing consulates. [The Oklahoman] Oklahoma Local News OKC Council moves forward on urban chickens, EMSA staffing changes [OKC Free Press] Quote of the Day "Our current tax structure also requires low- and middle-class taxpayers to pay a higher portion of their income than wealthier Oklahomans. These tax policy choices contribute to and perpetuate inequities based on race, ethnicity, gender and location, making it harder for historically marginalized groups to catch up and get ahead. But it doesn’t have to be this way." — Quote of the Day from OK Policy Executive Director Ahniwake Rose on the release of OK Policy's latest report, “A Better Path Forward,” a comprehensive analysis of Oklahoma’s budget and tax systems. [Ahniwake Rose / The Journal Record] Number of the Day 5th Oklahoma is the 5th highest tax state for low-income earners. In addition, Oklahomans carry tax obligations unequally: The lowest 20 percent of earners pay 13.2 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 20 percent (making $89,100 or more) pays just 8.2 percent. [Source: A Better Path Forward by the Oklahoma Policy Institute] Policy Note A Better Path Forward: A Budget and Tax Roadmap for Oklahoma: During the past two decades, Oklahoma lawmakers have reduced state government spending by 22 percent (adjusted for inflation and population growth). This means that each year our elected officials and policymakers have fewer dollars to answer today’s needs or to invest in our state’s future success — about $2.1 billion fewer last year. With the state’s loss of nearly a quarter of its capacity to support essential services, Oklahomans are not getting the public education, health care, social services, and infrastructure they need. [Oklahoma Policy Institute] You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail. Connect with Us   Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S Detroit Ave, Suite 1005 Tulsa, OK 74120 (918) 794-3944 info@okpolicy.org Unsubscribe

 

 

 

TODAY: Join Us for "A Better Path Forward" Livestream Event | 10 a.m. Today

View this email in your browser. A Better Path Forward - Report Release and Conversation will be livestreamed on OK Policy's website at OKPolicy.org and via OK Policy's social media channels on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27. The event will be archived on OK Policy's YouTube channel after the event for those who cannot attend live. --- During the past two decades, Oklahoma lawmakers have made decisions — intentionally or not — that have cut nearly a quarter of the state’s budget capacity, which has harmed its ability to deliver essential public services. The Oklahoma Policy Institute on Wednesday, Oct. 27, will release A Better Path Forward, a comprehensive report detailing how the state got here and the implications of those decisions.  More importantly, A Better Path Forward includes a menu of budget and tax reforms that can provide vital state revenue while bringing more fairness to the state’s tax system.  OK Policy seeks to stimulate bipartisan, public conversation about how Oklahoma can strengthen state revenue, better support public services, level the playing field along racial and economic lines, and make meaningful investments in our future success. A Better Path Forward provides a starting point for those conversations. OK Policy is hosting A Better Path Forward - Report Release and Conversation, a livestreamed event from 10:00-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. The event will feature:   Overview from report co-author Paul Shinn, OK Policy Budget & Tax Senior Policy Analyst A response from Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn Panel discussion moderated by NonDoc Editor in Chief Tres Savage with panelists:  Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton Dr. Cynthia Rogers, Professor of Economics, University of Oklahoma Emma Morris, OK Policy Health Care & Revenue Policy Analyst and report co-author A Better Path Forward - Report Release and Conversation will be livestreamed on OK Policy's website at OKPolicy.org and via OK Policy's social media channels on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Connect with Us   Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S Detroit Ave, Suite 1005 Tulsa, OK 74120 (918) 794-3944 info@okpolicy.org Unsubscribe