Save the Date - A Better Path Forward for Oklahoma's Budget & Tax Systems - Livestream 10/27/21

View this email in your browser. The Oklahoma Policy Institute will be hosting a presentation about improving Oklahoma's budget and tax systems to work on behalf of all Oklahomans. A panel discussion featuring state leaders will follow. Please save the morning of October 27 on your calendar for this livestreamed event. Details will follow.    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] COVID death rates in rural areas | Masking in schools | Evictions

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 'We’ve turned many rural communities into kill boxes.' COVID death rates higher in rural areas: Rural Americans are dying of COVID at more than twice the rate of their urban counterparts — a divide that health experts say is likely to widen as access to medical care shrinks for a population that tends to be older, sicker, heavier, poorer and less vaccinated. While the initial surge of COVID-19 deaths skipped over much of rural America, where roughly 15% of Americans live, nonmetropolitan mortality rates quickly started to outpace those of metropolitan areas as the virus spread nationwide before vaccinations became available, according to data from the Rural Policy Research Institute. [Kaiser Health News / The Oklahoman] (Podcast) The Source Podcast: COVID booster shots begin as cases decline from peak [The Oklahoman] Does the COVID-19 vaccine affect fertility or pregnancy? Oklahoma doctors offer advice [The Oklahoman] COVID-19 in Oklahoma tracker: Daily updates on new cases, deaths, vaccines for October 2021 [The Oklahoman] Sand Springs family's COVID battle leaves uncertainty in its wake [Tulsa World] Gov. Stitt still supports banning mask mandates in public schools despite pandemic's classroom upheaval: With broadly poor student test scores revealed Thursday after the pandemic’s classroom upheaval, the governor remains steadfast in the state’s effort to remove an injunction so that it can once again block public school districts from implementing mask requirements. Two recent studies published by the CDC highlight how universal masking in schools as part of a layered mitigation approach is important to stop the spread of COVID-19 and minimize disruptions to student learning. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Oklahoma and four other states for potentially failing to meet the needs of students with disabilities because of prohibitions against masking in schools. [Tulsa World] Health News Free dental clinic sees fewer patients, more taking advantage of Medicaid expansion: A less hectic round two of the new community clinic offering free dental care saw nearly half as many people take advantage of the medical services Friday. Sixty-five patients young and old were seen and treated at Great Plains Family Dentistry, down from the 133 patients who attended the first free clinic held in May. [Enid News & Eagle] Limit admissions or close down? Oklahoma nursing homes, losing workers, make tough choices: Already dealing with workforce shortages and the brunt of a pandemic, nursing homes are now facing a grim choice: limit new admissions or shut down entirely. A new survey, conducted by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, found the workforce situation has worsened over the last three months for 86% of nursing homes and 77% of assisted living providers nationwide. [The Oklahoman] State Government News Oklahoma, national murder rates highest in decades even as overall crime rates fall: The number of murders in Oklahoma reached a two-decade high last year, according to new data released by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, a rise that mirrored the national trend. Homicides in the U.S. in 2020 increased nearly 30% over the previous year, the largest one-year jump since the FBI began keeping records, according to figures released last week by the agency. [The Oklahoman] Grading Oklahoma: Oklahoma is 14th in violent crime in the nation [The Oklahoman] Here's what to know as the OMMA boosts medical marijuana oversight in Oklahoma: Recently appointed leaders of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority on Friday highlighted initial changes to industry oversight and touched on further action needed to ensure one of the nation's largest marijuana markets is in compliance with state law. [The Oklahoman] After her first 30 days on the job, the new head of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority said the agency is in the middle of building its staff to ensure compliance and help the state uncover illegal operations. [Public Radio Tulsa] A subsidy covering 3 months of child care is now available to all Oklahoma parents looking for work: The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has expanded a free child care benefit for Oklahomans who have lost their jobs. Three months of fully subsidized child care are now available to parents while they look for work. While the CARES Act–funded program has been around since May 2020, it was previously limited to people who lost their jobs due to COVID, and it covered only 60 days. [Public Radio Tulsa] Political notebook: Data privacy again on Legislature's radar; bill would make gun silencers legal: State Rep. Logan Phillips, R-Mounds, said he will pursue data privacy legislation in the 2022 session. Phillips, chairman of the House Technology Committee, said his bill would require internet sites to more conspicuously display the types of personal information they collect, and fine them for violating their own privacy statements. [Tulsa World] Turnpike authority sees nearly half a million PlatePay transactions in 1st month of cashless tolling: The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority reported nearly half a million transactions during its first full month using a cash-free tolling system. The roughly 476,000 PlatePay transactions on the Kilpatrick Turnpike represented just under 3% of all traffic on the state's toll roads in August. [Public Radio Tulsa] Federal Government News 'These aren't the bad guys': Afghanistan refugees' arrival in Oklahoma has retired Army colonel back in action: A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan wants Oklahomans to understand something about the refugees being resettled here. “These are people that are asking for our help,” said retired U.S. Army Col. Mike FitzGerald. “They are young families with small children. These aren’t the bad guys.” [Tulsa World] AP: States and cities slow to spend federal pandemic money: As Congress considered a massive COVID-19 relief package earlier this year, hundreds of mayors from across the U.S. pleaded for “immediate action” on billions of dollars targeted to shore up their finances and revive their communities. Now that they’ve received it, local officials are taking their time before actually spending the windfall. Five Republican-led states — Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas — waited so long that they weren’t required to file reports by the Treasury’s Aug. 31 deadline. [AP News] Tribal Nations News Convicted Oklahoma killer contends McGirt is retroactive: Attorneys for a man convicted of murder in Oklahoma have appealed a state court’s ruling that a U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting state jurisdiction for crimes committed on tribal reservations by or against tribal citizens does not apply retroactively. [AP News] Criminal Justice News Former Oklahoma GOP chair, lobbyist once convicted of cocaine use suggested for jail trust: Oklahoma County Commissioner Kevin Calvey has named Chad Alexander as his pick to fill the spot on the jail trust vacated last week by former Lt. Governor Todd Lamb. Alexander's name appeared on the agenda for consideration at Monday's county commissioners' meeting days after Calvey scratched an item regarding Lamb's resignation from the previous agenda. [The Oklahoman] OUPD Chief Nate Tarver: ‘We must be open-minded’: When he was studying broadcast journalism at the University of Oklahoma, Nate Tarver had no idea he would one day serve as chief of police across all three OU campuses. Tarver was named OU’s chief of police in September 2020, succeeding former Chief Liz Woollen, who held the position for 17 years. [NonDoc] Board to consider clemency Tuesday for Osage County killer: Osage County killer John Marion Grant could be the first person executed since the state halted the process in 2015. Grant was sentenced to death for the 1998 killing of 58-year-old Dick Conner Correctional Center employee Gay Carter. [Tulsa World] John Marion Grant’s hearing before the Pardon and Parole Board is Tuesday morning. [Public Radio Tulsa] Column: Local jails and officers can no longer shoulder the burden of Oklahoma's mental health crisis: Today, our mental health care system is fragmented, underfunded and difficult to navigate. Mental illness often results in a vicious cycle of poverty, homelessness and incarceration. The state’s negligence regarding mental health services and failure to fund local mental health treatment programs as promised in State Questions 780 and 781 have turned law enforcement officers into the primary responders to the mental health crisis. Jails have become the treatment centers for people with mental illness. [Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado Op-Ed / Tulsa World] Economic Opportunity An evictions 'wave' hit Tulsa, but not the way some officials expected: With a federal moratorium no longer in place, Tulsa landlords filed more evictions in September than any month since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it wasn’t the huge wave that some officials expected. Landlords filed 906 cases in September compared to an average of about 700 per month during the moratorium, which restricted what reasons a landlord could give for seeking an eviction, according to data from Open Justice Oklahoma, a program of the Oklahoma Policy Institute. [Tulsa World] Economy & Business News September one of the hottest, driest on record in Oklahoma, state climatologist says: September was Oklahoma’s 17th warmest and driest month since records began in 1895, with Tulsa seeing two and a half times the average number of days with temperatures at or above 90 degrees, the state climatologist and the National Weather Service said. [Tulsa World] Oklahoma's winter could be brutal, according to the Farmer's Almanac predictions [The Oklahoman] Education News Oklahoma Student Learning in a Pandemic: Test Results Show Heavy Toll: Oklahoma students lost ground in nearly every grade and subject as they struggled to learn amid COVID-19 disruptions, newly released test score data shows. Results from state assessments taken by students in the spring show significant declines when compared to 2019, the last time students took state assessments. The 2020 exams were canceled at the onset of the pandemic. [Oklahoma Watch] “The effects of the pandemic will be seen and felt for years to come,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “There is no quick fix.” [AP News] But Hofmeister and other state officials say you’ll need to dig a little deeper to interpret the data. [Public Radio Tulsa] Epic co-founders potentially owe millions to the school they created, officials say: Epic Charter Schools is still waiting for its co-founders to repay potentially millions of dollars from an account that for years has been hidden from public view. School officials said the co-founders' company, Epic Youth Services, failed to meet a Thursday deadline to turn over money and bank records owed to the virtual school system — a deadline the co-founders deny knowledge of. [The Oklahoman] General News Tulsa Race Massacre survivors have day in court as judge weighs whether their case will go to trial: The fate of three Tulsa Race Massacre survivors’ lawsuit against the city remains in the hands of a judge after they and their attorneys spent about six hours in court this week arguing over whether the case should go to trial. [Tulsa World] Oklahoma Local News City, EPD to launch new online open records request, management system Monday [Enid News & Eagle] Free clinic in OKC's Eastside aims to bring critical health care access to those who need it [The Oklahoman] Hundreds march in downtown Tulsa as part of national campaign to support abortion rights [Tulsa World] Tulsa Transit is now requiring medical exemption forms for riders who want to go maskless on buses [Public Radio Tulsa] Proposed ward boundaries unlikely to impact 2022 elections [The Norman Transcript] Payne County adopts new commission district boundaries [Stillwater News Press] Former Thunder worker gets probation, fine for demonstrating inside U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 [The Oklahoman] Quote of the Day "It sure is a challenge to go out there and search for your next ... career move without the support of knowing that your child is safe and they are being taken care of by a quality childcare provider." -OKDHS Adult and Family Services Director Deb Smith, noting that access to child care is an economic issue. [Public Radio Tulsa] Number of the Day >3,000 Number of Tulsa households that have received support through the federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which has distributed more than $15 million to Tulsa tenants since payments began in April [Tulsa World] Policy Note Evictions and the Pandemic Economy in the Tenth District: Very few events in history have had as much an effect on human life and the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic. When the virus first emerged, public health authorities and government leaders enacted policies to curtail transmission and consumers reduced their activity in public spaces such as restaurants. Schools switched to online learning. Offices emptied as employers had many employees work from home. Travel halted abruptly, leading to hotel closures and cancelled flights. Restaurants shifted to take-out only or closed completely. Millions across the U.S. became unemployed in the largest mass layoff since the Great Depression. Disproportionate effects were felt especially in low-wage jobs, affecting many women and people of color. [Kansas City Fed] 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

 

 

 

[Weekly Wonk] Increasing access to expungement | A call for civility | Fixing the child care system

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 Interim study examines how to increase access to expungement (Capitol Update): Recently Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, hosted an interim study in the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee on potential criminal record expungement reform. The purpose of criminal justice is to separate offenders from society where necessary for protection, to deter future criminal misconduct, and to rehabilitate those who have offended. In a few cases, the behavior is so abhorrent that justice demands punishment for the sake of punishment. But in most nonviolent cases, the creation of a permanent public record to follow offenders for the rest of their lives contributes little to those goals, and instead adds barriers to their achievement. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update] Policy Matters: A Call for Civility: Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech often gets cited by those seeking elected office. It celebrates those who are “actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.” Unfortunately, too many public meetings these days feel like they’re devolving into the kind of chaos where bloody confrontation is possible. Like earlier this month when a fight broke out at a Lindsay city council meeting, or the many city council and school board meetings statewide that have turned into shouting matches where unruly participants had to be forcefully removed. [Ahniwake Rose / The Journal Record] Weekly What’s That Block Grants A block grant is a type of grant program transferring federal funding to states to be used for a broadly defined function. Unlike entitlements, which use a combination of state and federal dollars to administer a range of safety net programs to anyone who qualifies, block grants are capped amounts of federal money. By comparison, entitlement spending allows federal programs to expand or contract in response to need. ​Because block grants​ don’t respond to need and commonly do not increase at all year to year or do not increase as quickly as costs, they are ​in effect deep budget cuts​ that​ leav​e states on the hook for a​n increasing share of ​the funding for basic safety net programs. Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here. Quote of the Week “Whether your goal is as deep as helping the human spirit or as simple as saving money on incarceration, the assistance we give Oklahomans as they leave a state correctional facility can make all the difference in their transition back into society.” -Rep. Ajay Pittman, speaking during an interim study about resources made available to Oklahomans when leaving a correctional facility [The Oklahoman]  Editorial of the Week Government must play a role in fixing child care system Oklahoma lawmakers met recently for an interim study to try to understand the state’s worker shortage and how the lack of reliable day care is playing into the crisis. Oklahoma’s Child Care Resource and Referral Agency has said even before the pandemic that about half of Oklahomans live in a child care desert and that hundreds of day care centers closed during the height of the pandemic in 2020. This has exacerbated an already difficult time for businesses trying to hire workers. The state Chamber of Commerce also recognizes that access to child care is essential for the state’s economic recovery. Interim studies and discussions on this issue aren’t new; however, what hasn’t really happened is a concerted effort among the federal government, state government and the private sector to truly address the issue and find solutions. Reliable and affordable day care has been an economic issue for a long time, but the pandemic laid bare the faultiness of our child care system. No one likes the term “universal-anything” when it comes to government spending; however it is time to recognize that government can play a greater role in providing quality child care for working families and that child care is an essential service. So it’s time to really get to work addressing the issue. Some of the solutions that have been proposed on the federal and state levels include: • Capping the costs of child care to low-income families. • Creating an aggressive federal match for state-improved childcare access in underserved areas as well as increase the federal match for infant care. • Extending the Child Tax Credit expansions from the American Rescue Plan through 2025 and permanently making the Child Tax Credit fully refundable. • Providing child care subsidies to low-income workers. • Providing a living wage with benefits to full-time child care workers. Prioritizing fixing a broken child care system is critical to our economic future. Post-pandemic, a major turning point in our economy hinges on making child care more accessible and affordable for families. [Enid News & Eagle] Numbers of the Day >100,000 - More than 100,000 Oklahomans would be eligible to seal criminal records and lead more productive lives if Oklahoma implemented an automatic expungement system. [OK Policy] 19 - Number of states that are streamlining criminal record expungement through some form of automation. This topic was part of a recent interim study about increasing access to expungement in Oklahoma. [Clean Slate Initiative]  $10 billion - An automatic expungement system is estimated to help reduce unemployment for justice-involved Oklahomans. This increase in employment could increase Oklahoma’s GDP by up to $10 billion annually [OK Policy] 6.5% - Only about 6.5 percent of the people eligible for expungement actually access relief without an automatic system. [University of Michigan Law School] 18% - Percent of children in Oklahoma who are Hispanic of any race (2019) [KIDS COUNT] What We’re Reading During the pandemic, employers in the hospitality sector turned to the formerly incarcerated to fill jobs [The Counter] To Boost Hiring, New York Makes Case for a ‘Clean Slate’ [Bloomberg] Dozens of new expungement laws already enacted in 2021 [OK Policy] More States Consider Automatic Criminal Record Expungement [Pew Trusts] Key facts about U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage Month [Pew Research] NOTE: National Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Each week, OK Policy will share policy notes and numbers to recognize this commemoration. 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] Test scores dropped during pandemic | Study: Okla. has nation's highest mortality rate of police violence | 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 Oklahoma school test scores drop after COVID-19 crisis: Oklahoma students scored worse across nearly all grade levels and subject areas this spring in the first round of state testing since COVID-19 threw education into crisis. Fewer students scored at their proper grade level in math, science and English language arts than in 2019, the last time state tests were administered. But, test taking was inconsistent across school districts and student demographics, leading state officials to advise this year’s scores create an incomplete picture that’s difficult to compare to previous years. [The Oklahoman] Though prognosticators warned there would likely be decreases, because of uneven participation rates, it’s hard to suss out exactly what impact the pandemic had on scores. [KOSU] While test participation rates were off overall, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said they are still among the highest participation rates in the nation and offer clear confirmation of the academic toll exacted on students from a multitude of pandemic-related disruptions. [Tulsa World] Hofmeister said she’s particularly troubled by the learning deficits among third graders. [CNHI via Enid News & Eagle] Tulsa Public Schools releases state test results during pandemic [Tulsa World] Study: Police kill more people in Oklahoma than any other state. And many deaths go unreported: Oklahoma has the highest mortality rate of police violence of all 50 states and the highest rate of underreporting the killings, according to estimates in a study released Thursday. About 84% of police killings in the state from 1980 to 2018 were unreported or misclassified in official government reports, according to the peer-reviewed study in The Lancet, one of the world's oldest and most renowned medical journals. [USA Today via The Oklahoman] Study: Fatal police violence by race and state in the USA, 1980–2019: a network meta-regression [The Lancet] Health News Column: What happened to the money that was supposed to go to local mental health programs? Five years ago, voters sent a clear mandate to the Legislature to give savings from reduced prison populations to county governments for local mental health programs. Legislators have not allocated one penny; a flagrant violation of their duty to uphold state laws. After lawmakers refused for years to pass [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World] OK Policy: Follow through on SQ 781 by funding treatment and rehabilitation services [NonDoc] As masking in Oklahoma schools went up, COVID cases in children went down: It appears that COVID-19 cases among children are falling, and the timing of the decline coincides with an increase of mask mandates in Oklahoma schools. At the beginning of the month, Oklahoma schools were allowed to implement mask mandates because of an injunction filed against Senate Bill 658. Since then, dozens of public schools have implemented mask requirements containing opt out provisions. At least 34 of the state’s public school districts have implemented masking mandates. [KOSU] Amid third-dose rollout, infectious disease specialist emphasizes importance of getting more initial COVID-19 vaccinations: Supply isn’t an issue as the COVID-19 booster dose program rolls out. Persuading more people to get their first dose is. Dr. David Chansolme, with Infectious Disease Consultants of Oklahoma City, said Thursday that it’s important to know that vaccination is the safest way through the pandemic, not relying solely on natural immunity from previous infection. [Tulsa World] New Analyses Support Advocates' April 2020 Warning Pandemic Would Lead To Mental Health Crisis: New reports support mental health advocates' warnings last spring that the COVID-19 pandemic would trigger a mental health crisis in Oklahoma. Researchers with Tulsa-based Healthy Minds Policy Initiative found over the past 18 months dramatic increases in anxiety and depression, with the prevalence among adults reaching rates four times higher than in 2019; an 8% to 10% overall increase in suicides in 2020; and a nearly 30% increase in suicides in rural areas. [Public Radio Tulsa] ‘They Don’t Understand That We’re Real People’: A month ago, Texas adopted a divisive law which effectively banned abortions in the state. Despite a number of legal challenges, the law has survived and is having an impact across state lines. Trust Women is an abortion clinic in Oklahoma that is just three hours north of Dallas — one of the closest clinics Texas women can go to. On the day the new law came into effect, “it was like a light had been flipped,” said one of the workers who staffs the clinic’s phone lines. “We had everyone’s line lit up for almost eight hours straight.” [New York Times] Texas trots out 1911 precedent, uptick in Oklahoma abortions in bid to doom DOJ suit [Reuters] Texas attorney general says state's abortion ban is 'stimulating' interstate commerce [CNN] State & Local Government News Adria Berry: ‘It’s a new day’ at the OMMA: Appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in August, Adria Berry is the new director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, the state agency responsible for regulating Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program. Berry is the fourth OMMA director since State Question 788 legalized medical marijuana in 2018. Her tenure begins at a difficult time for the OMMA as the agency grapples with a lawsuit from growers and questions about marijuana cultivation operations in rural parts of the state. [NonDoc] Podcast: Julius Jones Commutation, Redistricting Special Session, Senator Nathan Dahm and More: This Week in Oklahoma Politics discusses  the governor's decision to wait until after the clemency hearing of death row inmate Julius Jones to decide on his commutation, lawmakers are heading back to the State Capitol n November 15th to deal with redistricting after a delay in getting the 2020 Census number and the first female Higher Education Chancellor in Oklahoma gets ready to start the job. [KOSU] Child care subsidy expands to include all job losses: Oklahomans looking for work can receive up to three months of fully subsidized child care, beginning Oct. 1. The announcement marks the latest push to get more Oklahomans back to work in a state that currently enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. [The Journal Record] As weekly jobless claims continue to decline, new child care subsidy for Oklahoma jobseekers made available: Most employers will see no change in their contribution rates to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund in 2022 as initial jobless claims continue to decline, state officials announced Thursday. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission said in a news release that 73% of state employers will see no change in their contribution rate to the trust fund while 19% will see a decline in their rate. [Tulsa World]  Fact check: Does Oklahoma City have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation? [The Oklahoman] ‘Silencer’ bill may entice gun accessory makers to state, senator says: A rural state lawmaker hopes to pass legislation that would allow Oklahomans to purchase firearm “silencers” made in Oklahoma without federal government interference. State Sen. Michael Bergstrom, R-Adair, said that, if passed, a bill he plans to file for consideration during the next session of the Legislature might also result in investment in new manufacturing in the state. [The Journal Record] Petunia #1 will remain at Oklahoma Capitol; empty tanks gone: The rig that marks the spot where Petunia #1 – the oil well drilled 80 years ago in a flower bed in front of the Oklahoma Capitol building – will remain, but the empty tanks that sat next to it have been removed. [The Journal Record] Federal Government News An Oklahoma city prepares for an unprecedented influx of refugees: In the basement of the old St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, a small tan brick building near downtown Stillwater, Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma Operation Manager Mike FitzGerald has been working 12-hour days to find clothing, housing and food for the estimated 40 Afghan refugee families that will begin to arrive in Payne County in November. [The Frontier] Tulsans teaming up to feed, 'show love' to Afghan refugees [Tulsa World] Federal programs to get farmers' help on climate change has more takers than money: The federal government pays farmers to do things that fight global warming. And farmers want in. There's just not enough money to go around. The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants farmers to do more to offset climate change. But more than half of the farmers who want to cash in on the payments that come with two programs have been shut out. [KOSU] Tribal Nations News Supreme Court asked to declare that McGirt was retroactive: The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last year that Oklahoma had no criminal jurisdiction over a Native American on the Muscogee Creek reservation should apply to all prior criminal cases in Oklahoma involving Indians on reservations, lawyers for a Native American inmate told the court this week. [The Oklahoman] Five additional federal judges requested to handle increased post-McGirt caseload in Oklahoma [KOSU] Criminal Justice News Corrections Department Plans Sign-On Bonuses, Temporary Pay Raises As Prison Staffing Problems Persist: The Oklahoma Department of Corrections plans to provide a $2,500 sign-on bonus to newly hired prison officers and temporarily boost pay for employees working in especially understaffed facilities. The agency’s staffing levels have dropped significantly over the past year, resulting in officers working excessive overtime and decreased employee morale, corrections director Scott Crow told the state Board of Corrections on Wednesday afternoon. [Oklahoma Watch] Judge OKs grand jury probe of parole board, county jail: An Oklahoma County judge has agreed to convene a grand jury to investigate potential wrongdoing by the state’s Pardon and Parole Board and conditions at the Oklahoma County jail. Presiding Judge Ray Elliott agreed Wednesday to the request by District Attorney David Prater, The Oklahoman reported. [AP News] Economic Opportunity Oklahoma ranks no. 2 best state for older adults: Among the 50 states, Oklahoma was ranked as the second best for older adults. Senior Living determined the ranking by comparing the 15 factors considered crucial to living a long and happy life. The study included factors such as taxes, income cost of living, weather and number of nurses. [VeloCity OKC] Economy & Business News Chamber fears looming vaccination mandates: Looming workplace vaccination mandates – coming in the middle of the state’s economic recovery – will be another blow to Oklahoma businesses, Chad Warmington said Thursday. Business owners fear employees will quit rather than comply with federal mandates, said Warmington, president and CEO of the State Chamber, which has approximately 4,300 members representing 270,000 employees. [The Journal Record] Energy state governors prescribe innovation, not regulation for nation's energy headaches: The governors of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Wyoming believe continued energy innovations and not top-down regulations are what the nation needs to help it transition into an energy future that's good for both people and the planet. [The Oklahoman] Crop report: State’s drought worsens: Rainfall totals in Oklahoma averaged 0.07 of an inch for the week of Sept. 20-26, with the northeast district recording the highest total at 0.44 of an inch, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. [Southwest Ledger] Education News State Department Of Education Will Ask Oklahoma Lawmakers For Nearly $3.3B For Fiscal Year 2023: The State Board of Education on Thursday signed off on a nearly $3.3 billion dollar fiscal year 2023 budget request for Oklahoma’s public schools. Oct. 1 is the deadline for the spending plan to be submitted to lawmakers and the governor, and the Oklahoma State Department of Education is responsible for submitting a budget it believes will meet the needs of the state's K–12 students. [Public Radio Tulsa] ‘A systemic lack of advocacy for students’: State board puts Ninnekah district on probation: Oklahoma State Board of Education members voted unanimously today to place the accreditation status of Ninnekah Public Schools under probation following sexual assault allegations against former teacher and girls’ basketball coach Ronald Gene Akins. [NonDoc] The board's unanimous vote means the district must continue to take corrective actions to ensure the safety of students or face further sanctions. [The Oklahoman] Oklahoma Local News Democratic Oklahoma City attorney jumps into US Senate race [AP News] | [The Oklahoman] Tulsa becomes majority-minority city [KTUL] Grants to encourage business development, tech ‘ecosystem’ in Oklahoma [The Journal Record] Quote of the Day “Interruptions to classroom learning are evident in these results, and they underscore the need to provide a safe and stable school environment. We must restore and create opportunities for all students while considering the reality of the continued pandemic.” -State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, speaking about standardized test results released this week [Tulsa World]  Number of the Day 6.5% Only about 6.5 percent of the people eligible for expungement actually access relief without an automatic system. [Source: University of Michigan Law School] Policy Note More States Consider Automatic Criminal Record Expungement: About 1 in 3 U.S. adults, some 70 million people, have a criminal record, including those who were arrested but not convicted. These records have long-lasting consequences that can hinder a person’s access to employment, housing or a professional license. As of April, at least 11 states have automatic record expungement laws, but eligibility depends on the number of convictions and the type of crime, according to the Collateral Consequences Resource Center, a nonprofit repository of state and federal restoration laws and policies. [Pew Trusts] 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