Articles
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Budget & Tax
Stitt emphasizes government restraint—with one big exception
In his second State of the State address, Gov. Kevin Stitt mostly urged fiscal restraint, calling for increased state savings and agency consolidation, but he also promoted a tax/fee increase to fund a major expansion of welfare through Medicaid.Ray Carter | February 4, 2020
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Education
Stitt gives strong support to tax-credit scholarship program
Crossover Preparatory Academy's hard work and achievements were highlighted by Gov. Kevin Stitt at his State of the State address. Stitt urged lawmakers to raise the cap on the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act that allowed the boys to attend private school.Ray Carter | February 3, 2020
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Higher Education
University of Central Oklahoma touts pronoun option ‘to affirm gender identity’
A recent email from the office of the president at the University of Central Oklahoma announced that faculty and staff will be able to include their pronouns on university business cards and name badges, but stressed those pronouns are not an indication of gender.Ray Carter | January 31, 2020
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Health Care
Stitt declares support for Medicaid expansion
Reversing a stance he has publicly touted throughout his term, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Thursday he will support expansion of Oklahoma’s Medicaid program to include up to 628,000 able-bodied adults at a state taxpayer cost of as much as $374 million annually.Ray Carter | January 30, 2020
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Education
Parents urged to drive change via school choice
Perry Daniel, a longtime educator who is currently an official with K12, an online education provider, told parents that through school choice they have the power to change education to address the real, 21st-century needs of their children.Ray Carter | January 30, 2020
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Higher Education
Report highlights partisanship of Oklahoma professors
According to popular stereotype, college professors are overwhelmingly liberal Democrats. New research shows that cliché is grounded in reality, including at several major Oklahoma universities.Ray Carter | January 30, 2020
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Budget & Tax
OMES savings partially offset by increased fees
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) will request $12.7 million less in state appropriations this year. But those savings will be partly offset by a planned increase in the fees OMES charges other agencies for information technology (IT) services. And those fees, which will cumulatively total more than $3 million, will in many instances be covered by increased appropriations to other agencies, reducing state savings.Ray Carter | January 28, 2020
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Budget & Tax
Governor responds to tribes’ casino lawsuit
The state’s filing notes gaming compacts say auto-renewal occurs only if racetracks are allowed to conduct electronic gaming “pursuant to any governmental action of the state or court order following the effective date of this Compact.”Ray Carter | January 24, 2020
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Law & Principles, Good Government
Court arguments highlight redistricting plan’s potential impact
Arguments before the Oklahoma Supreme Court highlighted how an initiative-petition proposal, which would strip the Oklahoma Legislature of redistricting power and place that authority with an outside commission, could play out in practice.Ray Carter | January 22, 2020
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Health Care
Indiana Medicaid expansion tied to budget challenges
The rising cost of Indiana’s Medicaid program is creating budget challenges for that state that have prevented lawmakers from addressing other needs, including schools.Ray Carter | January 21, 2020