Articles
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Education
Scholarship critics notably silent on millions in tax credits
Opponents of the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act argue tax credits reduce available state funding for schools. But those same critics have been largely silent when it comes to a host of other tax-credit measures that involve at least $116 million in combined fiscal impact on state tax collections.Ray Carter | April 17, 2019
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Education
How much do unions spend on politics in Oklahoma?
Even in right-to-work states, public-sector unions can have a significant impact on how government operates. A new poll shows that 84.4% of voters support allowing teachers to vote on who represents them.Curtis Shelton | April 17, 2019
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Budget & Tax
Federal-funds transparency measure advancing in Legislature
Senate Bill 271, by Sen. Nathan Dahm and Rep. Kyle Hilbert, requires state agencies to report “all federal funds” used by the agency in a transparent manner.Ray Carter | April 17, 2019
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Law & Principles
Janus tells OKC audience workers’ rights not yet secure
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Mark Janus and ruled forced payment of union dues by nonconsenting government workers is an unconstitutional infringement of their free-speech rights. But in an Oklahoma speech on Tuesday, Janus warned that unions and their political allies are working to undermine that hard-won victory.Ray Carter | April 16, 2019
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Budget & Tax
More people moving out of Oklahoma than moving in
A recent analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City shows more people moving out of Oklahoma than moving in. This has closely followed the business cycle of the oil industry and changes to the personal income tax.Curtis Shelton | April 16, 2019
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Education
School administrators to lobby, play golf in OKC
A group of public-school administrators planning to visit Oklahoma City during school hours on April 24 appear poised to spend more time golfing than in direct meetings with lawmakers, even though the purported purpose of the trip is legislative outreach, based on an email from one of the group’s leaders.Ray Carter | April 15, 2019
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Budget & Tax
State tax collections continue to climb
Total Gross Receipts collected in March 2019 were $1.06 billion—an increase of 10.3 percent, or $101 million, from the same month in the prior year.Curtis Shelton | April 15, 2019
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Higher Education
Is Oklahoma’s higher education system an economic engine?
An indiscriminate mindset of “more funds mean more growth” is how universities stagnate and reinforce bad habits. It’s true that smart investments in research can benefit a university and spark economic growth, as University of Oklahoma President Jim Gallogly has noted. However, to separate the good spending from the bad, university leaders need rigorous and transparent analyses on how funds are used.Anthony Hennen | April 15, 2019
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Health Care
Medicaid expansion fails to lower hospital prices
After expanding Medicaid, many Colorado hospitals continued to raise their service prices despite the fact hospitals’ uncompensated care costs decreased. They did not pass supposed savings onto Coloradans, but instead decided to build more hospitals and buy out more physician-owned practices.Kaitlyn Finley | April 12, 2019
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Economy
Oklahoma migration may hold tax lessons
New research by Federal Reserve Bank officials shows “more people moved out of Oklahoma to live in other parts of the United States than moved in” during each of the past three years, reversing a prior trend of population growth.Ray Carter | April 12, 2019