Legislature poised to limit access to mammograms, prostate screenings, immunizations & more

While the new federal health law has expanded consumer guarantees for minimum health benefits, Oklahoma is poised to move in the opposite direction. Embedded in an ‘interstate compact’ bill to allow out-of-state insurers to sell policies in Oklahoma is a… Read more [More...]

Tax cuts of the mid-2000’s did not spark revenue growth

[NOTE: This post has been corrected to fix an error in the units used when describing the price of oil.] Despite frequent claims by proponents of cutting or eliminating Oklahoma’s personal income tax , it is a myth that tax… Read more [More...]

Stumbling revenue collections should signal caution

Over the past two years, Oklahoma’s revenue collections have been on a steady path to recovery. For the first nine months of FY 2012, collections to the General Revenue fund (GR) are up 22 percent compared to the same period… Read more [More...]

Graph of the Day: State funding shrinks sharply

In a recent editorial, the Tulsa World questioned the call that is frequently heard to ‘right-size’ state government. After three successive years of deep cuts to public services, the editorial asked ‘where does it end?’: But how do we define… Read more [More...]

Guest Post (Ken Fergesen): Taxes are essential for Oklahoma's quality of life

Ken Fergesen, a resident of Altus, is Chairman of NBC Oklahoma, and is active in banking, farming, civic, social and cultural organizations.. He is a past President of the State Chamber of Commerce. I am really concerned about our State. … Read more [More...]

Action Alert: It's time to make your voice heard on tax cuts

The income tax has been the top subject of debate this legislative session. Governor Fallin and some legislative leaders have promoted “bold proposals” to cut, and ultimately repeal, the state personal income tax.Yet after three straight years of budget cuts,… Read more [More...]

For Oklahoma jobs, don't mess with success

This post is by OK Policy intern Emily Callen. Emily is a senior at the University of Tulsa, where she is pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Economics. A longtime wonk-in-training, Emily has for years been boring… Read more [More...]

Stand back, we don’t know how big these things may get

In the final days of the 2010 session, when legislative leaders were faced with historic revenue shortfalls and were desperate for ways to balance the budget, a deal was struck with representatives of the energy industry on oil and gas… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: Eliminating the Income Tax – Silver Bullet or Fool's Gold?

On April 5th, Oklahoma Policy Institute is hosting a forum, “Eliminating the Income Tax: Silver Bullet or Fool’s Gold,” from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Several of Oklahoma’s most respected economists and economic… Read more [More...]

The Affordable Care Act: What has it done for you lately?

This week marks two years since landmark health care reform legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was signed into law.  While some of the law’s major provisions have yet to take effect, many of the rule-changes and programs that have… Read more [More...]