Articles
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Budget & Tax
No rapid recovery expected for Oklahoma’s economy
Employment in Oklahoma is not expected to rebound to pre-coronavirus levels for two years, and state tax collections are falling to 2016 levels. In response, Gov. Kevin Stitt called on lawmakers to tap state savings and to reduce spending to “smooth out” financial challenges over the next few years.Ray Carter | April 21, 2020
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Judicial Reform, Law & Principles
Put tort reform in the Oklahoma Constitution
The Oklahoma Supreme Court conducts itself more as a rolling constitutional convention than an appellate court. The Legislature, and the people, should not tolerate the Court’s overreach.Benjamin Lepak | April 20, 2020
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Budget & Tax
Democrats oppose any reduction in state spending
The shutdowns caused by the government’s COVID-19 response have devastated business and family budgets across Oklahoma, forcing many working families to make hard financial choices.Ray Carter | April 20, 2020
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Health Care, Culture & the Family
Stitt: Testing key to state’s reopening
Gov. Kevin Stitt and other officials say improved tracking of the COVID-19 virus will be crucial in reopening Oklahoma’s economy in the coming weeks.Ray Carter | April 17, 2020
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Budget & Tax, Education
Online shift may save school funds, but numbers remain elusive
Now that all Oklahoma public schools have shifted to distance learning, potentially significant savings could be achieved for many previously routine expenses. But state officials do not have that data and existing law may indirectly encourage school officials to spend those savings before July.Ray Carter | April 17, 2020
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Education
Digital learning and homeschooling during—and after—the crisis
Digital learning and homeschooling have hit K-12 education like—well, like a pandemic. As in so many other sectors, from politics to business to the movies, people are asking to what extent things can ever return to normal from the drastic changes imposed by our public health emergency.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | April 17, 2020
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Criminal Justice, Law & Principles
Crime may be unaffected by COVID-19, while lawsuits proliferate
The statewide COVID-19 shutdown may have dramatically impacted most Oklahomans, but it may not have deterred serious crimes, law enforcement officials told lawmakers Thursday. At the same time, the state could soon face a rash of lawsuits challenging the legality of government actions that forced business closures and the loss of citizens’ jobs.Ray Carter | April 17, 2020
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Budget & Tax, Economy, Culture & the Family
OCPA calls for CARES Act flexibility
OCPA president Jonathan Small, along with the leaders of several other think tanks from around the country, has signed a letter to federal legislative leaders calling for flexibility in the use of the CARES Act relief dollars.Curtis Shelton | April 16, 2020
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Economy, Culture & the Family
Citizen petition supports reopening state
Now that Oklahoma’s health care system is prepared to handle the estimated “peak” in COVID-19 hospitalizations, a new petition allows citizens to call on state and local government officials to reopen the state while maintaining sensible health precautions.Staff | April 16, 2020
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Economy, Culture & the Family
Stitt plans to reopen Oklahoma soon
Amidst growing evidence that Oklahoma has dramatically flattened the growth curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced today that many currently shuttered businesses may soon be allowed to reopen while elective surgeries will resume before the end of April.Ray Carter | April 15, 2020