Governor Mary Fallin Announces Appointments

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today announced appointments to the Oklahoma State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision, Oklahoma Health Information Exchange Trust, Construction Industries Board, Commission for Rehabilitation Services, Polygraph Examiners Board, Board on Judicial Compensation and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board.

Commission for Rehabilitation Services

Lynda Collins of Mannford is retired after serving 33 years at the Department of Rehabilitation Services. She earned a bachelor’s degree from East Central University and a master’s from OSU. Collins will serve a three year term and is replacing Ben White. His appointment does not require confirmation from the Senate.

Oklahoma Health Information Exchange Trust

Joe Nicholson of Tulsa is the vice president and national medical director at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. He attended the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa. Nicholson will serve a five year term and is replacing Brian Yeaman, who resigned. His appointment does not require confirmation from the Senate.

Speaker comments on DHS report on Serenity Deal

House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, today issued the following statement on a Department of Human Services report on the agency’s role in the death of a five-year-old Oklahoma girl, Serenity Deal:

“Five weeks after the statutory deadline to report on its involvement in Serenity’s case, DHS has produced essentially the same information contained in the report already issued by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth. I am not convinced the DHS report tells the full story.

Several questions remain, namely, what was the nature of the disagreement between Lincoln and Pottawatomie County case workers about whether Serenity should have been placed with her father? Why didn’t the courts have all the information needed to make informed decisions in Serenity’s case? I hoped this report would answer those questions and more. The report is instead mostly a chronological recounting of the bureaucratic and legal maze Serenity went through before her death. It confirms the heartbreaking fact that Serenity was put in a risky environment, but offers little explanation or analysis as to why.

The challenge before the Legislature is to make sure we address any systematic failures that might have occurred. The Legislature’s intent is not to point fingers or cast blame. We simply need information so we can identify the problem and try to fix it. We will continue gathering that information as we work to better protect our children and most vulnerable citizens.”

BACKGROUND: Serenity Deal, 5, was beaten to death June 4. Serenity was in DHS custody and had been placed in her father’s care as part of a trial reunification despite documented evidence that Serenity had been repeatedly injured while in his care in the past. Serenity’s father has been charged with her murder. An Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth report and news reports indicate there were major disagreements among DHS officials in Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties about whether Serenity should have been placed in her father’s custody.

Oklahoma’s Multicounty Grand Jury to Meet Tuesday

Attorney General Scott Pruitt

OKLAHOMA CITY – The state’s multicounty grand jury reconvenes Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

The grand jury will meet from Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Thursday, Aug. 11. This month’s session will be held at the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, located at 313 NE 21.

The multicounty grand jury was requested by Attorney General Scott Pruitt and approved by the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Jan. 27. It is led by Assistant Attorney General Charles Rogers, chief of the Multicounty Grand Jury Unit for the Oklahoma Attorney General.

To date, the state’s 13th multicounty grand jury has returned five indictments, involving six defendants, in cases filed in Cleveland, Harper, Pittsburg and Oklahoma counties.

The multicounty grand jury has jurisdiction to investigate criminal matters in all 77 counties, assisting local law enforcement as well as handling matters of state interest.

The state’s 12th multicounty grand jury wrapped up in September. It indicted 10 people and assisted 145 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Grand jurors typically meet to hear testimony two to three days each month. Testimony before a grand jury is closed to the public.

Liebmann Plans to File Drug Screening for TANF Recipients Bill

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Guy Liebmann announced today he plans to file legislation for the 2012 legislative session that would require drug testing of individuals applying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Rep. Guy Liebmann
R-Oklahoma City

“Federal law already gives states the right to test welfare recipients for use of controlled substances and sanction those recipients who test positively,” Liebmann (R-Oklahoma City) said. “My legislation would just make it mandatory. It’s just a common-sense bill and one that is already being signed into law in other states.”

Liebmann noted that Florida Gov. Rick Scott recently signed similar legislation into law. The new Florida law requires the Florida Department of Children and Family Services to conduct drug tests on adults applying to the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Applicants who test positive for controlled substances will be disqualified from receiving temporary cash assistance for one year, unless the individual chooses to seek substance abuse treatment. If the individual chooses treatment, he or she can reapply within a 6-month time frame.

Liebmann said he would like to include a provision allowing parents who test positive for controlled substances to sign up a relative to serve as a protective payee to receive benefits for a dependent child.

“I expect there will be other concerns and I welcome input to further fine-tune the bill,” Liebmann said.

Digital education and the lessons of history: a conference summary

By Patrick B. McGuigan at www.CapitolBeatOK.com (Published: 01-Aug-2011) 

A provocative and wide-ranging conference on “Education in the Digital Age” unfolded at the Oklahoma History Center last Friday (July 29). A sub-title of “Practices and Policies for Personalized Education” affirmed the historic setting of the event, sponsored by the conservative Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. 

Lee Baxter

Major General Lee Baxter, who holds the distinction of serving on the boards of both the state CareerTech and state Education Department, kicked off the day’s reflections with a brief address in which he referenced the “elite” education he garnered as a youth. 

When Baxter referred, in younger days, to his “UND” training, colleagues in the military assumed he meant “University of Notre Dame” – until he explained it was the University of North Dakota.

Andrew J. Coulson of the Cato Institute  examined ways public policy can protect and enhance development of a digital education marketplace. As did several speakers, Coulson pointed to the excellence of the Khan Academy’s online curriculum. 

He observed, “Public Schools are a $600 billion a year business, with 6 million people employed.” For this reason, it is perhaps not surprising that “change is threatening.” The bottom line, in Coulson’s view, is that educators must “find out what works, and then do the same.”

As part of a recipe for the future, Coulson argues education should become “a free enterprise,” full of dynamic models. He noted the move toward school choice, and robust examples of digital schooling, is a world-wide phenomenon, with examples abounding in Asia. In Chile, robust models of school choice have emerged since 1978. In Sweden, both public and private school choice has met the needs of one the world’s best educated citizenry. 

Coulson delivered a free market review of impediments and opportunities found in educational price, regulation, legal and regulatory threats, vouchers, Education Savings Accounts, tax cuts and policy solutions. 

In the ever-present tension between compulsion and conflict, on the one hand, and reasoned regulation, on the other, Coulson delivered a strong endorsement of the latter. 

Dr. J. Rufus Fears

In introducing the seminar’s luncheon keynote speaker, Dr. J. Rufus Fears of the University of Oklahoma, the sponsoring group’s policy vice president, Brandon Dutcher, quipped, “We are foolish if we think our microchips and bandwidth make us immune to the lessons of history, as I’m sure Dr. Fears will remind us. And unlike previous speakers, he won’t be using a PowerPoint. Dr. Fears is a historian of freedom and, like Lord Acton, he understands that power corrupts and PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.”

Dr. Fears proceeded to deliver a powerful distillation of thousands of years of human history – without either notes or power points. His theme was “The New Technology: Lessons from History.”

Online learning and the theory of disruptive innovation: Recent history, and a hopeful future

By Patrick B. McGuigan at www.CapitolBeatOK.com (Published: 01-Aug-2011) 

Online education is already playing a crucial role in the delivery of educational services, according to Michael B. Horn of the Innosight Institute. 

In his kickoff address at last week’s conference in Oklahoma City on “Education in the Digital Age,” Horn pointed to the wave of dramatic social and educational change driven by high tech. 

The sequence of events following the emergence of computers was one focus of his comments – sketching the years from main frames to mini computers, to smaller devices and finally to handheld notebooks that include telephone ability. Today, as prices drop and capacity soars, a process of “disruptive innovation” continues to unfold, leading to greater affordability and accessibility. 

In his address at the symposium, held at the Oklahoma History Center near the state Capitol, and sponsored by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Horn listed an array of examples of how digital/online education is already “huge”: 

Credit recovery (assisting a study to fill in a requirement on the way to graduation), dropouts, advanced placement/AP classes, scheduling conflicts (providing a means for students to take required classes that would not otherwise fit into a school’s available schedule times), home school education, homebound education (students who cannot attend regular class instruction), small and rural school use of online systems, unit recovery, disaster preparedness instruction, tutoring, professional development for teachers, Pre-K instruction, after school instruction, in the home classes, classes for incarcerated youth, continued instruction during periods of in-school suspensions, school bus commutes, summer school programs, and coping with teacher absenteeism.

Horn projects that by 2019, 50 percent of K-12 courses will be offered online. As it is, he explained, there are now 4 million students who are learning online. In all, 39 states already have some forms of online learning. Of those, 30 have supplemental state-led programs. 

Even after the advent of digital learning is in full swing, he projects that schools will still exist, for at least 90 percent of students. Still, the portion of digital instruction and class work received within schools will continue to rise. 

Pointing to the work of Khan Academy and other providers of online education content, Horn reported the dramatic improvement of the quality and utility of material delivered via the Internet. 

Horn said his study of digital learning has taught him that for most people, there are different learning needs at different times of life. Whereas, “we still build school schedules and school days around the old factory model,” and the “cookie-cutter” directives fail precisely because schools operate under conflicting mandates. 

When people talk about flexibility in teaching, and meeting the needs of individual students, he said, “The truth is that the desirability of flexibility is obvious to special needs educators. Online delivery has allowed that flexibility that it is said we need for special needs students.” 

Horn contends that online instruction will allow “a move toward a truly student-centric model. … As technology improves, the predictability of success of these models also improves for blended learning, schools and student pacing.” 

In perhaps the best quip line of the day, Horn shared the observation that America’s educational system “remains obsessed with ‘seat time’ in schooling. But too often, in that obsession, we’re assessing the wrong end of the student.” 

Rather than seat time, he said, “To meet the needs of students we should instead measure knowledge of the desired content. The system needs to become student-based and outcomes-based.”

In other sessions at the symposium, the Cato Institute’s Andrew J. Coulson focused on “How Policy Can Foster and Protect the Digital Education Marketplace.” 

Dan Lips of Arizona’s Goldwater Institute focused on K-12 online learning, suggesting strategies Oklahoma can pursue to accelerate the pace of positive change. 

Other speakers at the digital-learning symposium included Rose Hernandez of Wisconsin, an educator who is active in the National Coalition for Public School Options. 

She appeared in tamed with two educators from the Oklahoma Virtual Academy: Cheryl Tatum and Audra Carr, as well as academy students Dylan Marshall (12 years old) and David Marshall (10) and their mother, Lauren. 

At noon hour of the symposium, University of Oklahoma Classics Professor J. Rufus Fears spoke about the lessons of history in eras of dramatic technological change. His luncheon address was sponsored by the Foundation for Educational Choice.

July Revenue Shows Moderated Economic Growth

OKLAHOMA CITY – July revenues show moderate economic growth as collections continue to beat the prior year, although collections have pulled back from the double-digit numbers seen last month, Treasurer Ken Miller said earlier this week as he released the state’s monthly gross revenue report.

“July collections were up by 6.8 percent from July of last year and 14.4 percent above July 2009,” Miller said. “With year-over-year growth last month exceptionally strong at 15.5 percent, it is not surprising to see growth moderate some this month.”

Miller said collections over the past 12 months totaled $10.259 billion; the highest level since July 2009, when 12-month collections totaled $10.402 billion.

Read the full report by clicking http://nelsone.ws/o2W824

Red State: Burn Ban Expanded to All 77 Oklahoma Counties

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today expanded the ban on outdoor burning to all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. The Executive Proclamation expands the 45-county burn ban that was put in place on July 14, as the extreme to excessive drought conditions continue to worsen.

“We have just experienced the hottest July on record,” Fallin said. “The predictions of unrelenting extreme heat with no relief in sight make the statewide burn ban necessary.”


Oklahoma Forestry Services, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, report increased fire activity across the state. Firefighter fatigue is a growing concern.


Gas and charcoal grilling is allowed provided that it is over a nonflammable surface and at least five feet from flammable vegetation. Unlawful activities under the ban include campfires, bonfires, fireworks and setting fire to trash, grass, woods or other materials outdoors. For a complete list of activities allowed and prohibited view the guidelines for the Governor’s Burn Ban on www.forestry.ok.gov/burn-ban-information.

Health care law committee to begin work

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislative leaders yesterday announced membership and meetings of the Joint Committee on Federal Health Care Law, a special legislative committee that will study how the new federal health care law affects Oklahoma.

Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman and House Speaker Kris Steele ordered the formation of the joint committee this past legislative session to ensure Oklahoma properly addresses the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

At the direction of co-chairmen Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Glen Mulready, R-Tulsa, the Joint Committee on Federal Health Care Law will do its work through a series of public meetings in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

The committee’s first meeting will be Sept. 14 in Oklahoma City. The committee is expected to meet at least five times through November.

“Having suitable health care options in Oklahoma is an issue the Legislature takes very seriously and intends to proactively protect and address through this committee,” said Stanislawski, a Certified Financial Planner. “Oklahoma patients, taxpayers, businesses, health practitioners, insurers and others all have wide-ranging questions and concerns about this largely unwanted new federal law. The law will affect all Oklahomans, some in significant ways, so this committee will seek to address all relevant questions and concerns for the benefit of all Oklahomans.”

Among the topics to be studied are the state of health care in Oklahoma, logistics and ramifications of implementing the federal health care law, implementation timelines, responses to the law and the costs local governments and businesses may face as a result of the law.

The committee will also explore the implications Oklahoma’s lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality may have on the law’s implementation here.

“Clearly, most Oklahomans oppose this law. While we have taken steps to guard against harmful portions of the law, we would be remiss if we did not continue reviewing it so we can do our best to protect a choice-based, free-market health care system for Oklahomans,” said Mulready, a 28-year insurance industry veteran. “Simply put, the committee will show Oklahoma what to expect from this law, how we can continue to protect Oklahoma’s interests and how we can make sure we are best prepared as a state.”

The committee will solicit testimony and recommendations from a wide range of public and private sector experts. It is expected to hear from state and federal policymakers, business officials, insurance agents and brokers, legal experts, health care industry officials and more.

“All parties will be at the table working to make sure Oklahomans have health care choices, not mandates,” said Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “This is an opportunity for Oklahoma to assert our state’s rights and I’m confident all stakeholders will rise to the challenge so we can avoid dangerous federal mandates wherever possible.”

Ultimately, the committee will make recommendations on how the state should address components of the federal health care law.

“The committee will explore all possibilities for putting forth Oklahoma solutions that support a free market health care system,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “Not everything is clear about this law, and most of us don’t like it, but what we do know is Oklahoma cannot afford to be caught flat-footed, unprepared and unprotected if it takes effect. As much as anything else, this committee ensures Oklahoma is prepared.”

Committee members are:

Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, co-chair

Rep. Glen Mulready, R-Tulsa, co-chair

Sen. Cliff Aldridge, R-Oklahoma City

Sen. Bill Brown, R-Broken Arrow

Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa

Sen. Sean Burrage, D-Claremore

Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman

Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove

Rep. Randy Grau, R-Edmond

Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City

Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, D-Tulsa

Rep. Danny Morgan, D-Prague

64 Legislators Sign Letter in Support of U.S. Balanced Budget Amendment

Majority of State Representatives Pledge to Push for Ratification

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 29, 2011) – A majority of the members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives have declared their intent to make Oklahoma one of the first states to ratify a federal Balanced Budget Amendment.

Last week, 42 Oklahoma legislators signed a letter in support of a proposed federal Balanced Budget Amendment. The letter expresses the legislators’ support of the amendment and declares the legislators’ intent to work for ratification of the proposal in Oklahoma.

This week, an additional 22 legislators signed the letter, bringing the total number of signers to 64. On Thursday, the letter containing additional signatures was sent to Oklahoma’s congressional delegation and the congressional sponsors of the amendment.

“If the Balanced Budget Amendment is approved by Congress, we are committed to supporting and working for ratification in Oklahoma,” the letter states. “We are confident that if given the opportunity, Oklahoma will be one of the first states to ratify the Balanced Budget Amendment.”

Signers of the letter include much of House leadership, including House Speaker Kris Steele, Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Hickman, Majority Floor Leader Dan Sullivan, Appropriations and Budget Chairman Earl Sears and Majority Caucus Chairman Weldon Watson. House Rules Committee Chairman Gary Banz also signed the letter. Banz’s committee would likely oversee the development and advancement of the ratification resolution.

Other signers include state Reps. Don Armes, John Bennett, Gus Blackwell, David Brumbaugh, Dennis Casey, Josh Cockroft, Ann Coody, Marian Cooksey, David Dank, Lee Denney, David Derby, George Faught, Elise Hall, Tommy Hardin, Corey Holland, Randy Grau, Dennis Johnson, Charlie Joyner, Dan Kirby, Sally Kern, Charles Key, Guy Liebmann, James Lockhart, Scott Martin, Steve Martin, Mark McCullough, Randy McDaniel, Lewis Moore, Glen Mulready, Jason Murphey, Jason Nelson, Tom Newell, Jadine Nollan, Leslie Osborn, Pat Ownbey, Ron Peters, Pam Peterson, Phil Richardson, R.C. Pruett, Sean Roberts, Mike Sanders, Colby Schwartz, Seneca Scott, T.W. Shannon, Randy Terrill, Todd Thomsen, Steve Vaughn, Paul Wesselhoft and Harold Wright.

The letter was also signed by state Sens. Mark Allen, Josh Brecheen, Bill Brown, Greg Treat, Jim Halligan, David Holt, Clark Jolley, Steve Russell and Gary Stanislawski.

Cities and Towns May Not Restrict Sale of Pseudoephedrine According to AG Opinion

Rep. Mike Ritze
R-Broken Arrow

Oklahoma City - An Attorney General opinion issued yesterday makes it clear that cities and towns in Oklahoma do not have the legal authority to restrict or prohibit the sale of medicines containing the ingredient pseudoephedrine. The official opinion was issued in response to a question submitted by state Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow.

Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient in the manufacturing of the illegal drug Meth.

Legislation is pending in the legislature that seeks to require a prescription for the sale of products containing pseudoephedrine. Recently some communities in eastern Oklahoma have passed ordinances restricting the sale of medicines containing the ingredient to prescription only.

The manufacturing and use of Meth in Oklahoma is destroying lives, families and property and is a serious problem for law enforcement. But many are concerned that simply making pseudoephedrine prescription only will do little to address the problem while increasing the cost of health care and inconveniencing people that regularly use these products appropriately.

Lt. Governor Lamb Elected to National Position by Fellow Lt. Governors

Oklahoma City—At the recent annual conference for the National Lt. Governor’s Association (NLGA), Lt. Governor Todd Lamb was elected to serve as treasurer of the NLGA Executive Committee.

“The Lt. Governor was elected to this position bi-partisanly by his peers,” said NLGA Executive Director Julia Hurst.

“Oklahoma continues to have a vision of growth that moves our state forward and gives us recognition nationwide,” said Lt. Governor Lamb. “The opportunity to not only represent Oklahoma in the NLGA, but also champion who we are and what makes our state great is an honor. I am honored to be elected by my fellow Lt. Governors and to be a strong ambassador on behalf of Oklahoma on a national stage.”

“As an NLGA leader, Lt. Governor Lamb will work with his peers across the nation to find and foster multi-state and regional solutions to problems.” said NLGA Chair Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy. “Through NLGA, the nation’s lieutenant governors discuss shared concerns and seek to influence national dialogue.”

In March of this year, Lt. Governor Lamb was able to secure the 2013 annual NLGA conference in Oklahoma.

The NLGA executive committee meets about three times a year and is responsible to chart the course of policy issues and work to be pursued by the nation’s second-highest state and territorial officeholders. In addition to its specific duties, the committee will also address issues of mutual concern to all members. The position is a one-year term with Lt. Governor Lamb serving until July of 2012.

NLGA is a bi-partisan organization promoting regional collaborations and problem solving for almost 50-years. See www.nlga.us.

Ask OKDHS: Questions and Answers

(Release from OKDHS)

Oklahoma City—On any given day, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services receives hundreds of calls in offices around the state regarding services offered by the agency.

The answers to these commonly asked questions would be of interest to your readers, viewers, or listeners.  For this reason, the agency has prepared the attached “Ask OKDHS: Questions and Answers.”  The links below will take you to information about specific services.

These may be used as an “Ask OKDHS” series in a newspaper column or broadcast segment.  Please consider using this material as you see the need.  We can also offer personal commentary if you would like a local OKDHS staff member to be involved with your column or segment.  

• Aging Services Division
• Oklahoma Child Care Services
• Oklahoma Child Support Services
• Children and Family Services Division
• Developmental Disabilities Services Division
• Family Support Services Division
• Office of Client Advocacy
• Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
• Office of Inspector General

Digital education is focus of OCPA symposium at History Center Friday

CapitolBeatOK Staff Report (Published: 27-Jul-2011) 

This Friday (July 29), the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) will host a symposium on digital education, intended to “explore how technology is shaping modern education.” The program is being held at the Oklahoma History Center, immediately northeast of the state Capitol complex.

Organizers of the event, “Education in the Digital Age: Practices and Policies for Personalized Education,” say it will include “an in-depth discussion of digital learning and how it can improve education outcomes, an overview of how lawmakers can protect and foster digital learning, and a synopsis of how disruptive technologies are transforming the way students learn.”

Brandon Dutcher, OCPA’s vice president for policy, said in a statement provided to CapitolBeatOK, “The digital future has arrived. This isn’t the latest education-reform flavor of the month. What we’re seeing is a historic shift towards personalized learning, and this symposium will help parents and policymakers navigate these challenging waters.”

Scheduled speakers include J. Rufus Fears, Ph.D, professor of classics at the University of Oklahoma, who will deliver the keynote address at the luncheon (Noon-1:15 p.m.). 

Dr. Fears is one of the Sooner State’s most acclaimed scholars and teachers, and is the Dr. David and Ann Brown Distinguished Fellow for Freedom Enhancement at OCPA, Oklahoma’s leading free market “think tank.” The luncheon is sponsored by the Foundation for Educational Choice, a leading exponent of parental choice. The foundation was started by the late Milton Friedman, a leading economist and author. 

Two of the America’s best known advocates of education choice and other policy reforms will speak at the event. 

Andrew Coulson, director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., has scheduled an address on “How Policy Can Foster and Protect the Digital Education Marketplace,” from 11:15-11:50 a.m. Dan Lips, senior fellow in education policy for Arizona’s Goldwater Institute, will consider, “K-12 Online Learning: Policy Reforms to Improve Learning Options in Oklahoma.” His comments are slated from 1:15-1:50 p.m. 

Major General Lee Baxter (ret.), an OCPA trustee and a member of both the state Board of Education and the CareerTech board, will welcome attendees at 10:30 a.m. 

Michael Horn, executive director of education at the Innosight Institute and author of “Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns” is the mid-morning (10:40-11:15 a.m. speaker. 

Representatives from several virtual schools and other providers of online education are slated to join the symposium discussions. A “Digital Learning Demonstration” is on tap for 2 p.m. Then, a panel of vendors, teachers, parents and students will close the day. 

The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City, just east of the state Capitol building off 23rd Street. 

Registration for the event begins at 10 a.m. and the program is scheduled to last until 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided. 

For more information or to register for the event, contact Jennie Kleese at jennie@ocpathink.org or telephone 405-602-1667.

 

Note: Editor Patrick B. McGuigan contributed to this report. 

Oklahoma Attorney General, legislators to probe Wall Street’s handling of state pension investments

OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Scott Pruitt joined Rep. Randy McDaniel and House Speaker Kris Steele Thursday to announce the next step in the effort to reform and protect the state’s public employee pension system.

In response to claims of potential fraud, Attorney General Pruitt opened an investigation Thursday into whether financial institutions properly handled state pension funds.

Attorney General Scott Pruitt

“I commend the leadership of Gov. Fallin, Speaker Steele and Pro Tem Bingman on this issue and their efforts to protect Oklahoma’s investments,” Pruitt said. “An often overlooked area in pension reform is how funds are maintained by banks and what we can do to ensure investments are handled appropriately. I have launched an investigation to review management of these funds, and if there is any occurrence of fraud, I will take the necessary enforcement steps to recover potential losses of tens of millions of dollars.”

On Thursday, Pruitt sent letters to several custodial banks seeking data on investment transactions, including those involving foreign currency exchanges, on behalf of pensions for state employees, teachers, police officers and firefighters. The investigation and potential litigation is similar to actions taken in California, Virginia and Florida to recoup more than $200 million in state pension funds.

“The investigation will reveal whether we need to pursue litigation against fraudulent and deceptive practices,” Pruitt said.

Oklahoma’s major pension systems have investment assets of $21.4 billion, according to the state Pension Commission (for more information on pension investment assets, click here). Like private sector pension systems, public sector pension systems nationwide routinely invest in financial markets in an effort to realize investment gains.

Rep. Randy McDaniel and Speaker Kris Steele
at signing of pension reform legislation

McDaniel, R-Oklahoma City, chairman of the House Oversight Committee on Pensions, will conduct an interim study this year on pension investments.

McDaniel’s interim study seeks to determine whether Oklahoma’s pension investments are being handled properly and effectively.

“Investment performance has a significant financial impact on the fiscal health of pension systems,” McDaniel said. “Through my interim study, we will look at everything from pension investment policies and procedures to the performance of our outside money managers. With billions of public dollars in assets at stake, it makes good financial sense to take a serious look at these investments.”

McDaniel, a financial adviser, said if any mismanagement of pension funds is found, Oklahoma should not hesitate to try to recoup losses.

“Wall Street banks need to be held accountable for their actions. When fraud or deception occurs, there must be consequences. Ethical behavior is an absolute requirement of the investment managers who handle pension fund assets,” McDaniel said. “I look forward to working with the attorney general so we can take whatever actions are necessary to continue pension reform in Oklahoma.”

This past session, Steele, R-Shawnee, and McDaniel authored several pieces of pension reform legislation that reduced Oklahoma’s unfunded pension liabilities by billions of dollars and placed fiscally conservative, common-sense policies on Oklahoma’s public pension systems.

“Pension reform continues to be a priority in the House because fiscally unstable pension systems can cause fiscal havoc across state government, which risks funding for core services,” Steele said. “Putting Wall Street on notice is a big time statement that we take seriously our roles as stewards of the public’s money. This bold effort also shows Oklahoma’s commitment to providing its valued state employees with the stable, fully-funded pension plans they have been promised. I commend Attorney General Pruitt and Rep. McDaniel for their commitment to this critical cause.”

Record number of teachers seeks classroom supplies

Supt. Karl Springer and
1st yr. teacher Christine Toy

OKLAHOMA CITY – As Oklahoma City teachers prepare for the first day of classes after the summer break many stopped by the Teachers Warehouse to pick up the free school supplies that they had ordered. 

I spent time this afternoon with Oklahoma City Public Schools Supt. Karl Springer helping teachers load donated supplies. The free supplies were provided by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. 

This private-public partnership to put school supplies in Oklahoma City classrooms is reaching more schools than ever – and the school year hasn’t even begun.

Teachers Warehouse, a program of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools underwritten by Chesapeake Energy Corp., Devon Energy and OG&E, is distributing supplies to elementary school teachers today and Thursday. Middle school and high school teachers will receive their supplies next week. In total, schools will receive nearly $25,000 worth of copy paper, spiral notebooks, highlighters, pencils, crayons and other classroom tools and necessities by the end of next week.

The warehouse received orders from 569 teachers at 80 schools – both record numbers for a program that launched only three years ago. Those teachers serve an estimated 12,000 students who stand to benefit from the supplies.

Michele Albanys, a teacher a Capitol Hill Elementary, particularly appreciates the Foundation offers supplies year-round. “When I show up with the blue bags of supplies, the children know to help. They like to help unload them and take the supplies to where they belong.”

The increase in orders reflects The Foundation’s goal to reach more students with free supplies, further bridging the gap between what schools have and what students and teachers need to be successful. Since its inception in 2008, the program has provided more than $600,000 in supplies to teachers. This school year, the Foundation’s goal is to provide free supplies to as many as 800 teachers per month.

“We began this partnership even before the economy made it more difficult for schools and families to make sure teachers and students have what they need,” said Lori Dickinson, executive director of The Foundation. “The need is even greater now.”

Gently-used and new supplies are donated by businesses and individuals throughout the school year. The list of supplies that teacher may request from the Foundation include: 

• Single-Subject Spiral Notebooks
  (wide ruled and college ruled)
• White Loose Leaf Notebook Pape
  (wide ruled and college ruled)
• #2 pencils (regular or mechanical)
• Student scissors (pointed, Fiskers)
• Glue Sticks/Glue Bottles
• Post It Notes
• Highlighters
• Ballpoint Pens (blue, black & red ink)
• Crayon Packs
• Colored Pencils
• Markers
• EXPO Dry Erase Markers
• Vis a Vis Overhead Projection Pens
• 3 x 5 index cards (blank and lined)
• Binder Clips—all sizes
• Reams of 8 ½ x 11 white copy paper
• Reams of 8 ½ x 11 colored copy paper
• Paper folders with 2 pockets and brads
• 8 ½ x 11 file folders
• Standard/Metric Rulers
• 1” 3-ring binders (hard cover)
• Washable Markers
• Backpacks without wheels
• Paper Clips
• Regular staple refills
• Tape dispenser refills
• Divider tabs (5 tabs and 8 tabs)
• Flash Drive (128 MB or more)
• Electric Staplers
• Heavy-duty Staplers (to staple large packets)
• Three-hole Punches
• Pencil Sharpeners—regular and electric
• Backpacks
• Pencil bags/boxes
• Scientific Calculator
• Hand Sanitizer
• Thesaurus
• English Dictionary & English-Spanish Translation Dictionary
• Multi-Colored Construction Paper packages
• Art Supplies (paint brushes, water colors, modeling clay)
• Miscellaneous craft supplies (pipe cleaners, beads, ribbon)

Click here to read the KFOR News Channel 4 story