Articles
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Law & Principles
Lawmakers adopt rules to impede abuse of audit office
Members of the Oversight Committee for the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) approved rules that would prevent any single legislator or LOFT employee from unilaterally targeting an agency or government official with audits.Ray Carter | December 11, 2019
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Budget & Tax, Health Care
Conflict seen between Medicaid effort, food-stamp reform
As Oklahoma prepares for a likely statewide vote in 2020 on dramatically expanding the Medicaid entitlement to cover hundreds of thousands of able-bodied adults, the state is ironically ahead of national trends in controlling the expansion of a second entitlement program—food stamps—for a similar population.Mike Brake | December 10, 2019
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Higher Education
OU, Tulsa professors promote impeachment
Seven Oklahoma law professors have signed a letter supporting the impeachment of President Donald Trump even though they “take no position on whether the President committed a crime.”Ray Carter | December 9, 2019
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Budget & Tax
Stitt’s budget to ‘keep a lid’ on spending
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s secretary of budget says a shift is underway in Oklahoma government. He said the governor’s next budget plan will focus more on efficiency than increased spending.Ray Carter | December 6, 2019
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Health Care
Study undermines Medicaid expansion claim
Health insurance cost increases in Oklahoma were less than in most states, which indirectly undermines a key claim of Medicaid-expansion supporters.Ray Carter | December 6, 2019
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Budget & Tax
Low casino fees a problem for Henry administration too
Gov. Kevin Stitt isn’t the first statewide officeholder to raise the issue of casino operating fees.Ray Carter | December 6, 2019
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Higher Education
Oklahoma colleges given low rating in free-speech report
A new report by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) finds that three major Oklahoma colleges maintain highly restrictive speech codes, and two others maintain policies that are less restrictive but still impose some barriers to free speech.Ray Carter | December 4, 2019
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Health Care
Oklahoma Medicaid growth crowds out other priorities
Over the past 20 years, Medicaid’s share of total state spending has grown faster than any other category of state spending.Kaitlyn Finley | December 4, 2019
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Education
Teacher numbers climb, but trend may not last
New figures suggest pay increases have attracted more teachers to Oklahoma schools, but much of the increase remains attributable to reliance on emergency-certified teachersRay Carter | December 2, 2019
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Education, Culture & the Family
Teachers’ union encourages members to politicize Thanksgiving, Christmas gatherings
The parent organization of the Oklahoma Education Association is encouraging its members to “incorporate your commitment to social justice at your celebrations this year.”Ray Carter | November 27, 2019