Legislators focus on welfare reform in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Three state legislators are working with a conservative think tank to ensure that welfare is used as the temporary safety net that it was designed to be rather than a long term crutch. Last week, Sen. Rob Standridge worked with the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) in hosting a forum on welfare reform in Oklahoma along with Rep. Jason Nelson and Rep. Tom Newell. The featured speaker was conservative political activist Star Parker who discussed her visionary ideas on empowering those trapped in the welfare system. 

Social policy consultant Star Parker speaks on welfare
reform alongside Sen. Rob Standridge (R-Norman) and
Rep. Tom Newell (R-Seminole) at a recent OCPA forum.

Parker is the founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) in Washington, D.C., which works to create a national dialogue on issues of race and poverty. Parker opposes many welfare programs believing that instead of teaching people how to take care of themselves, they create a system of government reliance and helplessness. Parker had seven years of first-hand experience in the grip of welfare dependency. Now, as a social policy consultant, she works with policy makers on how to transition America's poor from government dependency.

“I am extremely encouraged and excited that, amidst all of the political noise in the nation today, Senator Standridge is focused and deliberate about helping those most vulnerable. I look forward to working closely with him and his office to help those struggling to prosper and live in peace in this great nation of ours. Under Senator Standridge’s leadership, Oklahoma could be a model to help save the country.”

As Vice Chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Standridge has been a strong advocate of welfare reform authoring numerous measures to address Oklahomans’ growing reliance on government assistance.

“I enjoyed hearing Star Parker’s ideas for how to help strengthen individuals and families and get them off of welfare. When it was created welfare was intended to only be temporary assistance for the disabled and elderly and it has become a crutch for all ages and that has to stop,” said Standridge, R- Norman. “Part of being fiscally responsible is ensuring that all citizens have the education and skills needed to be contributing members of our society. The strength of our economy depends on this. I’m looking forward to continuing our efforts to reform Oklahoma’s welfare system and putting some of Star’s ideas to work in legislation for the upcoming session.” 

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will be conducting an interim study this fall on Oklahoma’s welfare-to-work programs and the long term impacts of House Bill 2388, which allows DHS to deny Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits to applicants found using controlled substances. 

Nelson, who is the House Deputy Majority Floor Leader, serves as a member of both the House Appropriations and Budget Committee and Conference Committee on Health and Human Services.

“Star Parker's story is inspiring and her call to action compelling. Her call to provide our most vulnerable citizens with equal opportunities in education and to partner with families who want to work their way up the economic ladder resonated with me,” said Nelson, R-Oklahoma City. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to expand these important opportunities. I'm grateful that Star is willing to invest her time and energy in Oklahoma and look forward to working with her.” 

Newell serves as the Chair of the Conference Committee on Health and Human Services as well as the Appropriations and Budget Committee on Health and Human Services. 

“A system once thought to help people when they’re in temporary need has become a big-government bureaucracy that has entrapped entire families for several generations now,” said Newell, R-Seminole. “Once well-meaning, America’s welfare system only serves to trap people and remove any motivation to get off the system and find gainful employment. It’s a cycle that must be broken somehow, and I believe Star Parker’s ideas on how to accomplish that could revolutionize the system. Also, it could provide true light for people who don’t want the government to take care of them, but want to be self-sufficient. It was an honor to discuss with Star what can be done to ensure the welfare system goes back to being a temporary safety net and not a catch-all way of life.”

The legislators will be working together to introduce strong welfare reform measures in the 2015 legislative session. The bill request deadline will be in early December.

Lawmakers Unveil Education Savings Account Act

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation that would provide education options to families across Oklahoma was unveiled today at a press conference at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

Under House Bill 3398, by state Reps. Jason Nelson and Tom Newell, low-income public school students would be able to receive a portion of the state aid dedicated to their education and use it to expand their education options.

“This is an exciting and timely proposal that will help address one of our state’s most pressing and challenging problems – the effects of poverty on our families,” said Nelson, R-Oklahoma City. “Two thirds of the births of children in our state are paid for by Medicaid. More than 60 percent of the public school students in our state are eligible for free or reduced price lunches. Educators I’ve talked to say that students living in poverty present the greatest challenge in our education system. This bill would begin to help these children and help schools with one of their greatest challenges.”

“If you are a parent who has the means to pay for education alternatives, you have true freedom over how your child is educated,” said Newell, R-Seminole. “If you have a lower income, your options are more limited. This legislation is about expanding those options for low-income families.”

Under the legislation, students eligible for free or reduced price lunch under federal guidelines would be eligible to receive 90 percent of the funding they would have generated at their resident public school through the school funding formula. Students in families whose household income is up to 1.5 times the threshold for free or reduced price lunch will be eligible to receive 60 percent of the amount they would have generated through the formula. Students in families whose household income is between of 1.5 times to 2 times the threshold will be eligible to receive 30 percent of what would have been generated through the formula.

The education savings account money could be used for tutoring, virtual school, higher education courses and private schools, Nelson said. 

“There is not a private school in every community,” Nelson said. “But there are alternative options to be found in every community.”

The president of a non-profit Oklahoma City school for impoverished and homeless children applauded the legislation.

Susan Agel, president of Positive Tomorrows, said the legislation could provide some funding for her students. Positive Tomorrows serves children who are homeless or in really difficult living situations.

“The Oklahoma City public school district estimates that there are about 2,000 homeless children in that school district,” Agel said. “There are a number of them that are really living in some difficult situations. Those are the children that we can do the most for. So far this year, we’ve turned away about 50 kids. We’ve done this because we have a lack of space in our building and because of staffing considerations.

“Every child that we take relieves some pressure on the burdened public school system who has to be all things to all children. We can take children who need some special care and we can take care of those kids and in the end we can save everybody a lot of money.”

Dr. Cris Carter, the superintendent of Oklahoma City Catholic Schools, said the Catholic Church has historically been an option for immigrants and the poor.

“We believe we have much to offer families who desire not only strong academics, but also a community rooted in a message of love and hope,” Carter said. “Representative Nelson’s previous legislation for special needs students has already begun to bear fruit. I have witnessed its impact most significantly at Good Shepherd Catholic School at Mercy, our school for children with autism.”

Lauren Marshall, member of the National Board on Public School Options and Tulsa resident, said parents need options.

“There are not enough school options right now for parents,” Marshall said. “This legislation will expand those options and we are grateful for Representative Nelson’s work on behalf of parents.”

Pam Newby, executive director of Special Care, also spoke in support of the legislation. 

“This bill is incredibly important to our families,” Newby said. “Most of our families are single parents with children who have respiratory issues, or learning disabilities, or autism. They desperately need an education plan that is not one-size-fits-all. Education should not be one-size-fits-all.”

House Approves DHS Reform Requiring Family Impact Statements

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation to give lawmakers more information about proposed Oklahoma Department of Human Services rules has been approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Bill 2219, by state Rep. Tom Newell, would require a family impact statement tied to every proposed rule prior to or within 15 days after the date of publication of the notice of proposed rule adoption.

“Rules, if lawmakers approve them, have the effect of law,” said Newell, R-Seminole. “Lawmakers need to oversee the rule-making process and DHS rules effect a lot of people in Oklahoma.”

Newell said the family impact statements would inform lawmakers about how a rule would impact the status of marriage and parenting and if it helped a family to function better or substituted a government activity in place of parenting.

“We want to know the long-term effects of the proposed rule on the intuition of the family,” said Newell. “For example, a proposed rule might only apply to single parents but might actually encourage an individual to forgo a traditional family structure. This legislation helps us make an informed decision.”

State House Republicans, Democrats Differ on States’ Rights Committee

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL – This week House Democrats made a barrage of statements condemning the House States’ Rights Committee created by House Speaker T.W. Shannon.

House Democrats complained that the “Committee entertained as fact internet myths and tinfoil hat fantasies” during a meeting of the Committee last Tuesday.

Lawmakers outline $853 million in unnecessary government spending

OKLAHOMA CITY – Over $853 million in unnecessary state government spending of taxpayer dollars was outlined today by a group of lawmakers who want to use the savings to make Oklahoma a no-income-tax state.

The group is advancing a proposal to phase out Oklahoma’s personal income tax over 10 years.

“We believe Oklahoma should be the state where people keep more of the fruits of their labor than anywhere else,” said state Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Mustang. “This will make us a magnet for job creators and set us on a path of vibrant economic growth and long-term prosperity.”

The group’s proposal aims to achieve full phase-out of the tax without raising other tax rates, negatively affecting core state government services, or harming retirees, senior citizens or veterans.

To do so, the lawmakers say their proposal requires a total of $525 million in total reductions in state government outlays that must be found over a two-year period. Because the savings can be found over two years instead of just one, annual savings found for Fiscal Year 2013 could also be counted again in Fiscal Year 2014 toward the total savings necessary.

In offering a list of $853 million in total savings options over the next two budget years, the lawmakers maintain there is plenty of room to reduce wasteful, unnecessary state spending while avoiding cutting core services, and still put Oklahoma on track to become the tenth state in the nation without a personal income tax.

“We can make these reductions and not touch one dollar of actual core spending in education, transportation, public safety, or the safety net for the truly needy,” said state Rep. David Brumbaugh, R-Broken Arrow. “In return, we can repeal our state’s income tax in a responsible amount of time and see an influx of new jobs and investment in Oklahoma at levels we’ve not seen before.”

The list of $853 million over two years includes savings from three areas: wasteful, inefficient or unnecessary state expenditures; corporate tax credits that have not exhibited a high enough return on taxpayer investment; and modernization, consolidation and technology reforms within state government bureaucracy that are still in the process of being implemented.

“Some of our colleagues may feel uneasy about eliminating taxpayer subsidies for things like golf courses or rodeos that may be in their home district,” said state Rep. Tom Newell, R-Seminole. “Or they may think it’s inconvenient to make state agencies operate efficiently. But our constituents sent us to the Capitol to use common sense and fix what needs fixing. And they don’t deserve for their hard-earned tax dollars to be spent wastefully.”

Newell said the goal in releasing the list was to compile credible savings ideas from several sources. Working from this list, the lawmakers hope to encourage their colleagues to build a consensus around which areas of nonessential state spending could be trimmed over the next two years.

One source lawmakers credited was the work in recent months by state Rep. David Dank, chair of the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Revenue & Taxation, and state Sen. Mike Mazzei, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, to bring attention to ineffective corporate tax credits.

Another acknowledged source was a recently released list of state budget reduction ideas from the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), a free-market think tank.

State Rep. Charles Ortega said he and his colleagues, when examining the savings recommendations from these and other sources, adopted some and left others for another day.

“The goal here is to put together good ideas from several different places and start reaching a consensus on what’s possible, both politically and practically, in order to find enough savings to phase out our income tax,” said Ortega, R-Altus. “We have great respect for the ideas put forward in recent weeks and months by Chairman Dank, Chairman Mazzei, groups like OCPA and others. Some of these ideas have legs right now, and some may not. We believe repealing Oklahoma’s income tax is essential for our state, so we’re asking our colleagues to work with us to determine where we can reduce unnecessary taxpayer expenditures in order to make it happen.”

Click here to see a list of suggested cuts