OKPOLICY.ORG
Next year Oklahoma is facing what could be the largest budget shortfall in state history. Oklahoma Policy Institute is closely monitoring various budget proposals and advocating for the best ideas to close the gap between plummeting state revenues and long-neglected funding needs for core services. Listed below are presentations, fact sheets, blog posts, and other information we’ve prepared related to the budget shortfall, as well as links to media coverage of the issue. We’ll continue to update this page as the situation develops. Please also see our Advocacy Alerts page for updated information on key tax and budget bills that are moving through the Legislature.
Fact Sheets & Reports
- Balanced solutions to Oklahoma’s budget emergency
- New Poll: Large majority of Oklahomans favor income tax increases to prevent further budget cuts
- Protect Broad-Based Tax Credits
- Budget Trends and Outlook – March 2016
- The cost of tax cuts in Oklahoma
- The tax cut bait and switch
- Fixing the sales tax: Options for reform
Blog Posts, Statements & Columns
- False choices (David Blatt, Journal Record)
- Cuts to education spending hurt more than just our children (Guesst Post: Christiaan Mitchell)
- Governor’s Budget 2.0: Cuts are not inevitable
- Oklahoma leaders have their sights on the wrong credits (Gene Perry, The Oklahoman)
- Doubling down (David Blatt, Journal Record)
- A health care high wire act (David Blatt, Journal Record)
- This budget crisis could be an unprecedented disaster for Oklahoma
- Quick Take: What’s the state of the Rainy Day Fund?
- This is real (David Blatt, Journal Record)
- This gas tax fix could level Oklahoma’s revenue rollercoaster
- The blame game (David Blatt, Journal Record)
- What I didn’t get from my tax cut (Guest Post: Erin Taylor)
- More Holes in the Safety Net: Oklahoma ends uncompensated care fund
- Tick-tick-tick (David Blatt, Journal Record)
- Will this be the year Oklahoma takes action to stop losing millions in unpaid sales taxes?
- Have legislators grasped the seriousness of Oklahoma’s budget crisis (Steve Lewis, Capitol Updates)
- Why tax increases would be less harmful to Oklahoma’s economy than budget cuts
- Oklahoma should tap the Rainy Day Fund to ease mid-year cuts
- Should Oklahoma broaden the sales tax to more services?
- Statement: Governor Fallin’s revenue proposals are good starting point
- Oklahoma entering budget crisis with easy savings already squeezed out (Steve Lewis, Capitol Updates)
- Oklahoma’s oncoming budget shortfall could be worse than the Great Recession (Steve Lewis, Capitol Updates)
- Oil prices aren’t the only reasons for Oklahoma’s budget problems (David Blatt, Tulsa World)
- Leadership failure
- Making sense of the mid-year “revenue failure”
- Statement: Budget emergency won’t be solved by doubling down on cuts
- Would expanding the Rainy Day Fund help Oklahoma’s revenue problems? (Steve Lewis, Capitol Updates)
- Until the state proves it can live within its means, it really should stop reducing them (Guest post: Ken Miller)
- Don’t touch Oklahoma’s Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund
- Budget challenges call for better tools
- Rain on the Picnic (David Blatt, Journal Record)
Advocacy Alerts
- Protect Broad-Based Tax Credits for Working Families
- Cancel the Income Tax Cut
- Help Level the Playing Field for Oklahoma Businesses: Support HB 2531
Reports by Others
- Budget Cuts or Tax Increases at the State Level: Which Is Preferable When the Economy Is Weak? (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
Media Coverage & Op-Eds
- Safety net programs impacted by budget cuts (Ada News, Apr. 2, 2016)
- Sen. Mike Mazzei: State budget will require tough choices (Tulsa World, Apr. 2, 2016)
- Budget cuts further affect people with developmental disabilities (Oklahoma Gazette, Apr. 1, 2016)
- Long-time Metro Pediatrician closing after budget cuts (News9.com, Apr. 1, 2016)
- Budget cuts could push more people into nursing homes (Journal Record, Apr. 1, 2016)
- Medicaid cut could cripple nursing homes (Duncan Banner, Apr. 2, 2016)
- Oklahoma state medical association urges members to mull leaving Medicaid over 25 percent rate cut (Tulsa World, Apr. 1, 2016)
- Budget cuts have health care groups worried for patients in need (NewsOn6.com, Mar. 30, 2016)
- Thousands with mental illness will lose services in Oklahoma (Oklahoman, Mar. 25, 2016)
- Oklahoma City Public Schools District Announces Teacher Layoffs (Reuters, Mar. 23, 2016)
- Oklahoma DHS to offer more buyouts, reduce some services (Oklahoman, Mar. 21, 2016)
- A man-made disaster is closing schools (Tulsa World, Mar. 20, 2016)
- Local non-profits feel the effects of statewide budget cuts (Oklahoma Gazette, Mar. 9, 2016)
- Sen. Mike Mazzei: Three options at hand for fixing the state budget (Oklahoman, Feb. 29, 2016)
- One by One, a Closer Look at Fallin’s Proposals to Fix the Budget Hole (Oklahoma Watch, February 6, 2016)
- Chief Baker: Challenging legislative session ahead for Oklahoma (Native Times, February 6, 2016)
- Margaret Swimmer: Rise up, Oklahoma! Demand more from your state government (Tulsa World, January 31, 2016)
- Rabbi Micah and Rabbi Karen Citrin: When we do not make public education a priority we sin against our children (Tulsa World, January 23, 2016)
- Dennis Neill: Politics versus reality of business and economics (Tulsa World, January 15, 2016)
- Oklahoma’s budget options should include delay of tax cut, GOP leader says (Tulsa World, January 19, 2016)
- Ginnie Graham: Oklahomans get a few extra bucks as the state budget goes to pieces (Tulsa World, January 16, 2016)
- Rep. David Perryman: Two Left Shoes And Oklahoma’s Revenue Failure (Oklahoma Observer, January 4, 2016)
- Oklahoma faces budget emergency despite economic boom (AP, Apr. 22, 2014)
