Articles
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Good Government
Review of state spending nearer with launch of LOFT
Members of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) Oversight Committee held the group’s first meeting Tuesday, convening briefly to name two subcommittees that will develop proposals regarding the hiring of an executive director and administrative rules to guide the entity’s work.Ray Carter | July 31, 2019
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Health Care
Health care working group membership announced
The co-chairs of a newly formed legislative health care working group are among the leading proponents of Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma.Ray Carter | July 30, 2019
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Judicial Reform
Oklahoma added to ‘judicial hellhole’ top-10 list
The American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF) has announced it now ranks Oklahoma among the nation’s 10 worst “judicial hellholes,” a jarring reversal after several years of progress.Ray Carter | July 29, 2019
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Health Care
Lawmakers to review Medicaid expansion as petition proceeds
A newly formed working group, comprised of state House and Senate members, will examine Medicaid in the coming months.Ray Carter | July 26, 2019
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Good Government
Trump deregulation gets praise, but officials say more needed
Officials in Oklahoma and elsewhere praise the progress President Trump has made on deregulation, but caution that much work remains.Ray Carter | July 25, 2019
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Education
Could school funding reform increase integration, test scores?
According to one expert, education officials can encourage integration without heavy-handed tactics, such as forced busing, if they embrace open-enrollment policies and a robust charter-school sector—and base school funding on current-year student counts.Ray Carter | July 25, 2019
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Education
Oklahomans paying to educate ‘ghost students’ in numerous districts
Many traditional public schools, all across Oklahoma, are receiving funding to educate students who no longer attend those schools. And, for those schools, the payments are not only legal, but the result of deliberate design.Ray Carter | July 22, 2019
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Education
Even after raises, teacher activist calls for lawmakers’ ouster
One prominent public-education activist has called for the ouster of as many as 35 Republican lawmakers, despite the fact most of those lawmakers supported teacher pay raises and school-funding increases.Ray Carter | July 18, 2019
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Education
With Oklahoma teachers’ input, national union endorses wide range of liberal causes
This month about 60 Oklahoma Education Association members attended the National Education Association’s Representative Assembly. Rather than focus solely on improving educational outcomes or addressing labor issues, delegates often embraced political activism—including support and promotion of abortion, unrestricted immigration, reparations for slavery, transgender issues, and more.Ray Carter | July 16, 2019
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Education
Two new schools in Norman area signal desire for education choices
Two new schools opening in the Norman area this fall provide the latest examples of Oklahoma parents wanting more educational options for their children.Ray Carter | July 9, 2019