Gene Perry worked for OK Policy from 2011 to 2019. He is a native Oklahoman and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in history and an M.A. in journalism.
By: Gene Perry
January 25, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
Oklahoma’s average teacher pay and benefits are among the very lowest in the nation and well below surrounding states. This non-competitive pay damages… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
Oklahoma has the second-highest incarceration rate in the country and the highest incarceration rate for women. Our prisons are badly overcrowded and underfunded,… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
Oklahoma’s jails are overflowing with people who haven’t been convicted of any crime but who can’t afford to pay a bail bondsman to… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
Most people enrolled in SoonerCare who can reasonably be expected to work, do work. However, for the first time in Medicaid’s fifty-year history,… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
Oklahoma’s historical tax rate on oil and gas drilling is 7 percent, but a special tax break gives the industry a 2 percent… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
Tens of thousands of Oklahomans enter the justice system each year, and many come out with thousands of dollars in debt to the… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
In March 1992, Oklahoma voters approved State Question 640, which requires that any bill to raise revenue must pass with three-quarters approval of… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
In Oklahoma, high-interest payday loans are advertised as a way for people who may not have access to traditional forms of credit to… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
When our friends and neighbors fall on hard times, a safety net is there to help them get back on their feet. For… Read more [More...]
See the full list of our 2018 policy priorities.
Download this fact sheet as a PDF.
Background
Oklahoma’s uninsured rate is one of the highest in the US. The effects of this ripple across our entire health care system, driving… Read more [More...]