TABOR and the Impact on CHILDREN
The so-called "Taxpayer's Bill of Rights" (TABOR) would restrict government spending by prohibiting funding from ever increasing more than the rate of inflation plus population. Colorado, which has lived with TABOR since 1992, offers harsh lessons on the inevitable effects of limiting spending through a rigid constitutionally-entrenched formula. The mechanics of TABOR do nothing to ensure the health, safety, or well-being of our children.
OKLAHOMA currently faces critical gaps in providing for the needs of our children:
- Oklahoma remains among the worst ten states in the nation relative to teen pregnancy rates
- Oklahoma ranks 44th out of all 50 states
- Oklahoma's rate of infant death is only "fair" relative to other parts of the country
- Oklahoma ranks 38th out of all 50 states
- Each year, seventeen thousand Oklahoma children fail to receive all the health care they need
- Oklahoma's rate of children lacking health insurance coverage is second worst in the nation. Nearly one in five Oklahoma children (18%) have no insurance or were not insured for some period during the last year.
- Oklahoma children are less likely to receive preventive and routine care than other children around the nation. During the past year, one in four Oklahoma children received no preventive medical care.
- Child abuse and neglect in Oklahoma rank in the bottom third of all states
- Oklahoma ranks 39th out of all states
- Almost eight thousand young Oklahomans quit school without graduating each year
- Per pupil spending in public elementary and secondary schools is $7,011, or 86% of the national average
- Oklahoma's rank is 37th out of all 50 states
COLORADO has seen child well-being outcomes worsen since TABOR's passage:
- The rate of low-income children without insurance rose from 15% in 1992 to 29% in 2002
- Only 67% of pregnant women in Colorado receive adequate prenatal care (2003)
- CO ranks 48th today, whereas it ranked 23rd in 1990
- As a result of inadequate reimbursement, only 24% of Colorado pediatricians reported in 2003 that they accepted children enrolled in Medicaid compared to 41% in 2000
- The Family Violence Grant Program, providing legal services to uninsured victims of family violence, was eliminated entirely
- In FY 2004-2005, the state lost $75,000 in matching federal funds for the Family Preservation Program because of cuts in General Fund support. This program helped dependent and neglected children remain together.
- The estimated public high school graduation rate fell from 74.9% in 1994 to 71.5% in 2003
- Common education spending (as a percentage of personal income) fell from 35th to 49th
TABOR would hamstring Oklahoma’s ability to provide quality services and care for our children:
- Tying spending increases to inflation would strangle health care funding for children
- Tying spending increases to population growth would have severe consequences for the integrity of Medicaid in Oklahoma that serves children and pregnant women
- Funding for programs that serve to protect infants and children from abuse and neglect would be in competition for an ever-shrinking amount of money
- Spending limits could threaten Oklahoma's key education programs such as pre-kindergarten programs for four-year olds and quality child care for all children under age 12
Under TABOR, Oklahoma would lack the resources to ensure every child received a high quality education, adequate health care, and protection from neglect and abuse.