Episode 34: No job? No doctor. (with Carly Putnam & Hannah Katch)
Release Date: 07/24/2018
OK PolicyCast 50: The past and the future of OK Policy (with David Blatt and Kara Joy McKee)
OK PolicyCast
This is episode 50 and also my last episode as a host of the OK PolicyCast, because my last day at OK Policy was July 5th. With OK Policy's founder and long-time executive director David Blatt also passing the torch later this year, we decided to do something special for this episode. David and I sat down with former OK PolicyCast co-host, now Tulsa City Councilor, Kara Joy McKee, to talk about our memories from the last decade with OK Policy.
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OKPolicyCast 49: Black Wall Street Times (with Nehemiah Frank)
OK PolicyCast
Nehemiah Frank is the founder and executive editor of The Black Wall Street Times, an online newspaper that covers news relevant to the black community in Tulsa and social justice issues affecting all Tulsans and Oklahomans. We talked about the history of Black Wall Street, including some of the aspects of that history that haven't gotten as much attention, even amid renewed focus on the 1921 race massacre.
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OKPolicyCast 48: Quick takes on the budget (with David Blatt and Paul Shinn)
OK PolicyCast
A state budget deal for fiscal year 2020 was revealed last Wednesday, and it's likely to receive final passage in the Legislature today. To get more insight into the budget deal, I spoke with OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt, as well as our new senior policy analyst covering budget and tax issues, Paul Shinn.
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OKPolicyCast 47: Homeless and a friend (with Tyler Parette)
OK PolicyCast
Tyler Parette works on some of the hardest problems in society of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness, not from the remove of a news article or policy paper, but making relationships directly with the people affected. Tyler shares with us how powerful it is not just for people they are helping, but how it can be a life-changing experience for the volunteers too.
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OK PolicyCast 46: A sanctuary for immigrants and their families (with Linda Allegro)
OK PolicyCast
Our guest today is Linda Allegro, the Project Director of New Sanctuary Network Tulsa. This project was started as a collaboration between Tulsa religious leaders of different faiths and denominations, and it's goal is protect Tulsa residents and families threatened by wholesale deportation. Linda speaks eloquently about how current approaches to immigration enforcement are breaking apart families, hurting public safety, and wasting tax dollars.
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OK PolicyCast 45: The Campaign to Expand Health Coverage (with Angela Monson)
OK PolicyCast
In this episode, I spoke with Angela Monson about the campaign to expand health coverage in Oklahoma. Monson has been involved with health care advocacy going back to the 1980s, and today, she is helping to bring together a coalition to push for bringing our federal tax dollars home to help more than 100,000 uninsured Oklahomans gain coverage.
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OK PolicyCast 44: 2019 BIll Watch, Part 2
OK PolicyCast
In our last episode, we heard from David Blatt and Carly Putnam about the big issues and bills we're following this year related to the state budget and health care. This episode brings you part 2 of that bill watch series, with criminal justice analyst Damion Shade, education analyst Rebecca Fine, and economic opportunity analyst Courtney Cullison.
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OK PolicyCast 43: 2019 BIll Watch, Part 1
OK PolicyCast
It's a new year, a new Legislature, a new governor, and many new bills that could have a big impact on Oklahomans' lives. In this episode, Gene Perry talks to OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt and Policy Director Carly Putnam about the big issues we're keeping an eye on this year related to the state budget, taxes, and health. In a future episode, we'll talk about other bills we're tracking related to education, criminal justice, and economic opportunity. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our...
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OKPolicyCast 42: The 2018 OK Policy Holiday Gift Guide
OK PolicyCast
There are a lot of reasons why winter is our favorite time of year (Fewer tornadoes! Legislative session starts soon!). However, one big reason is that it's when we're most likely to give and be given books — always dear to a policy nerd's heart. It's also the time when we get to share them with you! In the latest episode of the OK PolicyCast, we discuss some of the books we've read and loved over the last year that we hope you'll consider picking up, whether it's to give them away or keep them for yourself (Or to buy with every intention of giving and then never getting around to it, and...
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OKPolicyCast 41: Fair Wages and Overtime for State Workers (with Sterling Zearley)
OK PolicyCast
Today our guest is Sterling Zearley, who leads the Oklahoma Public Employees Association. OPEA represents thousands of state workers, including everyone from child welfare caseworkers to transportation engineers, corrections officers, mental health counselors, and more. In recent years in Oklahoma, teachers have gotten the most attention to their stagnant or falling pay and rising class sizes. Many state workers have faced very similar issues, as they try to do jobs that may be less visible than teachers but are still very important. Now as Oklahoma approaches next year's legislative session...
info_outlineThis year, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and the state Legislature ordered the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which runs Medicaid in Oklahoma, to come up with a plan to require Oklahoma adults on Medicaid to work at least 20 hours each week. If they don’t meet this requirement, or if they don’t do the paperwork to report their work or get an exemption in time, they will lose their Medicaid coverage and become uninsured.
OK Policy’s Carly Putnam has been doing a lot of work on this issue, and for this episode, I spoke with Carly and Hannah Katch of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who’s been looking at this from a national perspective since the idea has been pushed in multiple states.
Right now public comments are being submitted about Oklahoma’s plan, and after the interview we read several of the comments that have been sent in so far. These do a great job of showing how real people’s lives would be affected if this is implemented. The comments are illuminating, and often heartbreaking.
After listening, you can learn more and take action by going to https://okpolicy.org/stop-attacks-soonercare/.
The OK PolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at [email protected].