Recent Articles

Raise your hand if you got a raise

For some 12,000 state employees, the long wait for a pay raise has finally ended. Legislation passed this last session provided selected workers a raise of 6.25 percent or more, effective July 1 (or in the case of state troopers,… Read more [More...]

Time to off the runoff?

Dr. John Cox won a decisive victory in last week’s runoff election for the Democratic Party nomination for State Superintendent of Instruction, gaining 62.9 percent of the vote and beating challenger Dr. Freda Deskin by some 25,000 votes out of… Read more [More...]

Are Medicaid patients overusing the ER?

In the debate over Medicaid, a frequently heard claim is that Medicaid recipients overuse emergency rooms for non-emergency care, and that we need to address this problem if we are to contain Medicaid spending. This past session, the Legislature approved… Read more [More...]

Tobacco tax revenue declined last year. Here’s why that’s mostly good news.

In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved SQ 713, which increased the excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products while eliminating the state and local sales tax on these products. The new revenues from the increased taxes were dedicated to a… Read more [More...]

Two great OK Policy opportunities for Oklahoma college students

OK Policy is pleased to announced two exciting opportunities for Oklahoma college students. We are currently accepting applications for our fall internship and for our 2014-2015 research fellowship. Students working with OK Policy have a wide range of opportunities to… Read more [More...]

Definition of two small words could have large consequences

Is a bill that adjusts the tax rates on production of oil and gas a “revenue bill” under the terms of the Oklahoma Constitution? This is the question for the Oklahoma Supreme Court to decide in a challenge filed by… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: The Legacy of Gov. Henry Bellmon

Oklahoma Policy Institute will honor Governor Henry Bellmon with the 2014 Good Sense/Good Cents Award, followed by a panel discussion on the Bellmon legacy, on Monday August 4th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at the Lorton Performance Center on the… Read more [More...]

Did term limits really change how long Oklahoma legislators serve?

*This post has been updated to correct errors in the original version, noted by * In September 1990, Oklahoma voters, by an overwhelming margin, approved State Question 632 which limited service in the Oklahoma legislature to no more than twelve… Read more [More...]

Invalidated appropriation leads to $6.7 million budget cut

The state’s new fiscal year began on July 1st with most state agencies funded slightly worse than they had originally expected. Last month, OK Policy broke the story that this year’s General Appropriations (GA) bill diverted $7.9 million out of… Read more [More...]

Tax cut legal challenges could be game-changers

Over the years, Oklahoma City attorney Jerry Fent has proven a big thorn in the side of Oklahoma policymakers, filing and winning a string of constitutional challenges to legislation. Several of his lawsuits have led the Supreme Court to strike… Read more [More...]