Media mentions - Week of May 7, 2018

May 11, 2018

The Edmond Sun: More Money, More Problems

It’s been busy lately, so you may not have noticed that the state of Oklahoma received $71 million from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

Of that amount, the Oklahoma attorney general received a little over $4 million. The state general fund collected a little over $13 million.

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The Journal Record: Time for conservative governance has arrived

If you run into any state legislators over the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if they are grinning ear to ear – they are delighted, after a grueling 16 months, to be going home.

Gov. Mary Fallin is certainly smiling – and not only because, barring calamity, she has faced her last legislative session. This year, we saw a different kind of governor than the one we observed the last seven years.

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The Journal Record: The slippery three

Since 2015, annual taxes and other revenue taken from Oklahomans have increased by $1.1 billion. Oklahomans’ personal income taxes are up at least $185 million annually just since 2016.

Some important reforms passed this session, including enrollment audits and work requirements for Oklahoma’s expensive Medicaid program. Yet other programs proved just how slippery is the status quo when it comes to avoiding common-sense cost savings.

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