Paul Shinn served as Budget and Tax Senior Policy Analyst with OK Policy from May 2019 until December 2021. Before joining OK Policy, Shinn held budget and finance positions for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the Department of Human Services, the cities of Oklahoma City and Del City and several local governments in his native Oregon. He also taught political science and public administration at the University of Oklahoma, University of Central Oklahoma, and California State University Stanislaus. While with the Government Finance Officers Association, Paul worked on consulting and research projects for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and several state agencies and local governments. He also served as policy analyst for CAP Tulsa. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from University of Oklahoma and degrees from the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland College Park. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife Carmelita.
By: Paul Shinn
March 2, 2021 // Updated: March 2, 2021
Every one of us will suffer if we don’t help those whose income, health, and food security have been most damaged by the pandemic. We have the means to provide that help, but we must find the will. [More...]
By: Paul Shinn
February 3, 2021 // Updated: June 1, 2021
OK Policy’s simulator is a menu-driven Microsoft Excel worksheet in which users input details about a family to see how assistance programs help them at various hours of work and hourly wages. [More...]
By: Paul Shinn
December 18, 2020 // Updated: March 16, 2021
The State Board of Equalization provided the revenue certification that will serve as the basis for Oklahoma’s budget year that starts July 1, 2021 (FY 2022). The news was better than expected, but doesn’t suggest the state’s long-term budget slide is over. [More...]
The report shows how many Oklahomans need assistance from these programs and how the programs lift many out of poverty. It shows how programs interact to make resources available to families. [More...]
By: Paul Shinn
November 23, 2020 // Updated: November 23, 2020
Gov. Stitt’s office recently told one of my colleagues that the Governor could not call a special session for a single purpose, implying he was powerless to call lawmakers together to address the mounting human and economic damage from the… Read more [More...]
By: Paul Shinn
June 27, 2020 // Updated: June 27, 2020
On June 30, Oklahomans will decide State Question 802 that would add Medicaid expansion to the Oklahoma Constitution. Arguments in favor of SQ 802 have rightly been centered around its well-documented health effects. Expansion, after all, will reduce the number… Read more [More...]
By: Paul Shinn
June 2, 2020 // Updated: January 14, 2022
State agencies will be appropriated a total of $7.715 billion in FY 2021. This is a decrease of $283.2 million (3.5 percent) compared to the initial FY 2020 budget approved last May, and just $46 million (0.6 percent) above FY 2019 (see Figure 1). [More...]
In what was likely the most unusual — and contentious — budget process in state history, the Legislature passed the state budget for FY 2021, which starts on July 1. Most allocations to agencies are in the state’s General Appropriations bill (SB 1922), which the Legislature passed despite the Governor’s veto. [More...]
By: Paul Shinn
April 15, 2020 // Updated: March 2, 2021
Contrary to talking points from state boosters, Oklahoma is not a low tax state for all Oklahomans. Our regressive tax system ensures that low-income Oklahomans pay more in taxes, as a share of their income, than high-income taxpayers. [More...]
By: Paul Shinn
April 3, 2020 // Updated: April 7, 2020
The economic slowdown resulting from the spread of COVID-19 will have significant and harmful impacts on our state’s budget. However, it’s essential that we do our best to understand the possible implications and be ready to respond quickly. [More...]
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Every one of us will suffer if we don’t help those whose income, health, and food security have been most damaged by the pandemic. We have the means to provide that help, but we must find the will. [More...]
OK Policy’s simulator is a menu-driven Microsoft Excel worksheet in which users input details about a family to see how assistance programs help them at various hours of work and hourly wages. [More...]
The State Board of Equalization provided the revenue certification that will serve as the basis for Oklahoma’s budget year that starts July 1, 2021 (FY 2022). The news was better than expected, but doesn’t suggest the state’s long-term budget slide is over. [More...]
The report shows how many Oklahomans need assistance from these programs and how the programs lift many out of poverty. It shows how programs interact to make resources available to families. [More...]
Gov. Stitt’s office recently told one of my colleagues that the Governor could not call a special session for a single purpose, implying he was powerless to call lawmakers together to address the mounting human and economic damage from the… Read more [More...]
On June 30, Oklahomans will decide State Question 802 that would add Medicaid expansion to the Oklahoma Constitution. Arguments in favor of SQ 802 have rightly been centered around its well-documented health effects. Expansion, after all, will reduce the number… Read more [More...]
In what was likely the most unusual — and contentious — budget process in state history, the Legislature passed the state budget for FY 2021, which starts on July 1. Most allocations to agencies are in the state’s General Appropriations bill (SB 1922), which the Legislature passed despite the Governor’s veto. [More...]
Contrary to talking points from state boosters, Oklahoma is not a low tax state for all Oklahomans. Our regressive tax system ensures that low-income Oklahomans pay more in taxes, as a share of their income, than high-income taxpayers. [More...]
The economic slowdown resulting from the spread of COVID-19 will have significant and harmful impacts on our state’s budget. However, it’s essential that we do our best to understand the possible implications and be ready to respond quickly. [More...]
