Articles
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Criminal Justice
Punishment and crime: How they are (and are not) related
Changes to state penal codes can have a significant impact on reducing state prison populations. Oklahoma policymakers should continue to pursue new criminal justice reform policies to safely lower the state’s high incarceration rate.Kaitlyn Finley | August 13, 2019
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Education
School funding surges, but to what end?
Over the last two legislative sessions, lawmakers have increased K-12 school appropriations by 20 percent, funneling $638 million more into the system, boosting teacher pay by a combined total average of more than $7,000 apiece, and devoting millions more to classroom funding. But so far, lawmakers have little to show for it.Ray Carter | August 12, 2019
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Education
Powerful iron triangle resists parental choice
Oklahomans favor policies which give parents more educational options. However, enacting those policies has proven to be difficult. A simple metaphor can help explain why.Brandon Dutcher | August 11, 2019
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Education
Union declares teaching is political
Just weeks after roughly 60 of its members attended a conference where participants voiced support for abortion, transgender rights, reparations for slavery, and more, the Oklahoma Education Association tweeted that teaching “is a political act.”Ray Carter | August 9, 2019
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Education
The government school monopoly as reverse patronage program
One of the key challenges for education reformers is the huge size of the government school monopoly as a “reverse patronage” employer.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | August 8, 2019
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Good Government
Proposed election change could create costs, headaches
Some liberal activists want to require Oklahoma and other states to eliminate runoff primaries and instead use “ranked choice” voting. But Oklahoma’s top election official warns that change would involve substantial taxpayer expense and likely voter confusion.Ray Carter | August 8, 2019
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Health Care
Stitt continues to reshape government leadership
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Monday that Kevin Corbett will be the new director of the state’s Medicaid agency, continuing Stitt’s practice of prioritizing individuals with private-sector business expertise when making appointments.Ray Carter | August 7, 2019
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Economy
Expert says gambling compacts need to better address addiction
The debate over renegotiation of Oklahoma’s gaming compacts with tribal governments has centered on the rates paid by tribes and the impact of renegotiation on state-tribal relations. But some experts say those discussions are overlooking another important factor.Ray Carter | August 7, 2019
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Good Government
Government transparency bill signed in ceremony
Senate Bill 271, by state Sen. Nathan Dahm and state Rep. Kyle Hilbert, requires state agencies to post annual reports online that list “all federal funds” under the agency’s control and identify, in descending order, the funding source the agency relies on “to the greatest extent.”Ray Carter | August 6, 2019
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Health Care
Trump nixes Utah's partial Medicaid expansion plan
Last week the Trump administration blocked Utah’s efforts to partially expand Medicaid eligibility to able-bodied, working-age adults. Now Utah will likely move forward with a full Medicaid expansion plan despite budgetary concerns from lawmakers.Kaitlyn Finley | August 6, 2019