By:
Paul Shinn
June 2, 2020 // Updated: June 2, 2020
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.
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The Oklahoma Policy Institute has evaluated legislative and administrative actions — both state and federal — that will best prepare the state for a long-term recovery that benefits the health and well-being of all Oklahomans.
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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.
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By:
Rebecca Fine
September 24, 2019 // Updated: September 22, 2023
A new KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot shows that many children in Oklahoma live in high-poverty communities that often lack these vital necessities. In Oklahoma, Black and Latino children are more than four times as likely to live in areas of concentrated poverty (census tracts where 30 percent or more of the population lives in poverty).
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Today marks a new era in the history of Oklahoma Policy Institute (OK Policy) as Ahniwake Rose takes over the helm as Executive Director, succeeding longtime director David Blatt.
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You’ve probably heard a lot of people saying recently that Oklahoma’s economy is strong again and that’s partially true. There are reasons to be optimistic about our economy. But too many Oklahomans are still struggling despite statewide progress. Some parts of Oklahoma and groups of Oklahomans still have high unemployment rates, the percentage of our adult population participating in the workforce is decreasing, and job creation in Oklahoma hasn’t kept pace with our population growth.
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By:
David Blatt
June 5, 2019 // Updated: February 16, 2022
Strong oil and gas tax collections, due in substantial part to lawmakers’ willingness in 2017 and 2018 to restore the gross production tax to higher rates, are a major contributor to the state’s fiscal health.
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Last year, 621,076 Oklahomans were living in poverty according to official estimates - that's 15.8 percent, or one out of every six, of us. The Trump Administration has recently proposed a plan to adjust the way we measure poverty, but these changes would not make the measure more accurate.
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