Articles
-
Education, Agriculture
Politicized teaching feared with ‘climate change’ standards
The inclusion of “climate change” material in Oklahoma’s new science standards for public schools, beginning as early as middle school, has business leaders concerned classrooms could become politicized and schools weaponized against economically foundational industries.Ray Carter | March 6, 2020
-
Health Care
Democrat praises GOP’s embrace of Obamacare
GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt’s embrace of Obamacare Medicaid expansion and Republican legislative leaders’ efforts to assist in that effort has reaped backhanded praise from an unexpected source: legislative Democrats who have long championed the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its Medicaid expansion.Ray Carter | March 6, 2020
-
Law & Principles
Free speech argument prevails over ‘dark money’ complaint
Protection of free speech prevailed over complaints of “dark money” in legislative debate as the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted to increase privacy protections for donors to nonprofit entities.Ray Carter | March 5, 2020
-
Education
Scholarship program critics do about-face on tax credits
This week many who lambaste the tax-credit scholarship program voted to provide up to $50 million in tax credits to mostly out-of-state film producers, diverting a far greater sum from the state’s general revenue fund. And they supported the film program even though independent research shows its return on investment is a small fraction of the return generated by scholarship tax credits.Ray Carter | March 4, 2020
-
Law & Principles
Donor privacy protections gain bipartisan support
The personal information of donors to nonprofit organizations would be protected under legislation that passed without opposition in the Oklahoma Senate.Ray Carter | March 3, 2020
-
Education, Culture & the Family
Many Oklahoma teachers, union activists, support Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders, the self-described “democratic socialist” running for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, has long courted Oklahoma teachers. Public records suggest that, for many teachers, the admiration is mutual.Ray Carter | March 2, 2020
-
Budget & Tax, Good Government
Lawmakers vote to increase state’s unfunded liability
House lawmakers have voted to increase benefit payments to some state government retirees, but have chosen not to provide an appropriation to fund the additional expense. Instead, lawmakers voted to raid pension system assets to cover the cost of the higher monthly payments, which will reduce the systems’ solvency, and they advanced the bill despite lacking any firm estimate of the associated cost.Ray Carter | February 28, 2020
-
Education, Culture & the Family, Good Government
After Oklahoma Republicans side with OEA, union touts transgender reading program
Two days after six Republican senators joined Democrats to defeat legislation opposed by the Oklahoma Education Association, the union is promoting a national day of school readings on transgender issues.Ray Carter | February 27, 2020
-
Budget & Tax, Health Care
Hospital tax may not cover Medicaid expansion costs
Gov. Kevin Stitt has endorsed Medicaid expansion and urged lawmakers to enact a de facto tax increase to pay for it. A related funding measure was placed on a Feb. 26 committee agenda for a morning vote, but the committee did not convene. The reasons for the delay were not immediately revealed, but challenges continue to surround the tax-increase proposal, ranging from the fact that it will not generate enough revenue to cover the state cost of Medicaid expansion to suggestions the proposal may be illegal .Ray Carter | February 26, 2020
-
Good Government
‘At will’ worker measure advances
All new state government workers would be made “at will” employees under legislation that has advanced from a House committee, marking movement on a reform endorsed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.Ray Carter | February 26, 2020