Recent Articles

Things Fall Apart

The January-February issue of the Atlantic Monthly magazine features an excellent cover article by editor James Fallow weighing the question of whether America has entered a period of terminal decline. On the one hand, he suggests that the nation’s crucial… Read more [More...]

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Two years ago, Oklahoma Policy Institute was launched to provide timely and credible analysis of state policy issues that would help educate the state’s residents and guide public policy decisions.  We formed OK Policy to respond to the need for… Read more [More...]

A first look at the Governor’s FY ’11 budget

In Monday’s State of the State address, Governor Henry laid out the broad parameters of his FY ’11 Executive budget. The Governor’s speech likened our current fiscal storm to the severe weather the state has faced recently and so often… Read more [More...]

Your program and playbook for the Oklahoma legislative session

Do you know who chairs the Senate Appropriations committee? When the deadline is for passing bills out of their original chamber? How much money there is in the Rainy Day Fund? The answers to these questions – and more! –… Read more [More...]

Saving the Rainy Day Fund won't work

Our friends over at Oklahomans for Responsible Government have a blog post up on the FY ’10 budget agreement expressing dismay over the use of (an unspecified amount of) Rainy Day Funds to help cover this year’s revenue shortfall. They… Read more [More...]

FY '10 budget agreement leaves questions and challenges

In a press release Tuesday afternoon, Governor Brad Henry, Speaker Chris Benge and Senate Pro-Tem Glenn Coffee announced agreement on how to address the shortfalls in the FY ’10 budget that have resulted from this year’s revenues coming in sharply… Read more [More...]

Glimmers of good news in state revenue collections?

This month’s announcement of December General Revenue collections didn’t seem to provide much in the way of good news. Revenues for the month again came in around 30 percent below levels of one year ago (graph) and 30 percent below… Read more [More...]

New report looks at impact of Oklahoma’s immigration bill HB 1804

No piece of legislation in Oklahoma in the past decade was more controversial or contentious than HB 1804. Passed in 2007, HB 1804 – officially designated the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Act – enacted a series of restrictions intended to… Read more [More...]

Cutting budgets AND cutting taxes?

Today’s Tulsa World has a strong editorial opposing legislative proposals to enact further restrictions on property taxes.  For those who haven’t been following, this week has seen a public flare-up of a long-simmering internal battle within the House Republican caucus… Read more [More...]

Why government can't be run more like a business

Last week I attended the Stand Up for Seniors advocacy forum which focused on the impact the state’s worsening economic and fiscal situation is having on programs serving seniors. State Treasurer Scott Meacham was among the elected officials who addressed… Read more [More...]