Articles
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Higher Education
Nazi fears stoked in free-speech debate
Opponents of a free-speech bill signed into legislation argue the law's unintended consequences will turn college campuses into recruitment centers for white supremacists and similar groups. However, according to one expert, those claims are contradicted by real-world outcomes and the text of the law.Ray Carter | May 2, 2019
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Health Care
Study: Hospitals raised prices after Medicaid expansion
A new study shows that hospitals used taxpayer subsidies from Medicaid expansion to fuel an “arms race” of building expensive new facilities and buying out smaller practices while continuing to raise prices.Kaitlyn Finley | May 1, 2019
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Education
OEA silence on ‘diversion’ of school funds is deafening
Less than a week after declaring strong opposition to tax credit legislation because such bills supposedly divert money from public schools, the Oklahoma Education Association has abandoned that stance and ignored millions in new tax credits, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Jonathan Small noted today.Staff | May 1, 2019
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Budget & Tax
Stitt committed to state savings effort
In 2016, state lawmakers voted to create a Revenue Stabilization Fund that would hold any oil-and-gas tax collections that exceed a rolling five-year average. It’s possible the savings fund could receive a deposit of as much as $400 million next year. But Gov. Kevin Stitt says some lawmakers already want to reduce and redirect those savings.Ray Carter | April 29, 2019
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Health Care
Stitt discusses details, timeline for his Medicaid reform plan
At a recent town hall meeting in Kingfisher, Gov. Kevin Stitt reiterated his opposition to a ballot initiative that would expand Oklahoma’s Medicaid program and said he plans to offer an alternative in the summer.Ray Carter | April 29, 2019
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Education
What does the research show on school choice?
Greg Forster, Ph.D. | April 29, 2019
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Law & Principles
State leaders consider response to court’s ruling on lawsuit reform
This week the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down a lawsuit-reform law that capped noneconomic (“pain and suffering”) damages at $350,000, declaring it a “special law” that unconstitutionally treated similarly situated plaintiffs differently. State political, business, and medical leaders all say there will be an effort to reinstitute the cap, which has been declared vital to keeping doctors in Oklahoma and improving the state’s attractiveness to entrepreneurs.Ray Carter | April 26, 2019
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Good Government
Don’t let the state dox its citizens
The reason we need rules against doxing is obvious. People post this information for only one reason: to facilitate violence and harassment.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | April 26, 2019
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Judicial Reform
Gov. Stitt signs judicial reform bill
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed legislation Thursday that modernizes the district lines used to select Oklahoma Supreme Court nominees so district populations are roughly equal.Ray Carter | April 26, 2019
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Health Care
Alternative Medicaid plan may be much more expensive
As Oklahoma lawmakers consider embracing the federal Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, lawmakers have suggested they may use Arkansas as a model.But experts and independent evaluations of Arkansas’ program suggest there is one major problem with that proposal.Ray Carter | April 25, 2019