Category: Media

Most Oklahoma agencies to take 5 percent cut to make up budget shortfall (KGOU)

By Kurt Gwartney Five percent. That’s how much the governor is asking most entities in state government to cut their budgets. The number should not be much of a surprise. The amount of money available for state lawmakers to spend… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma ranks worst in the nation for long-term budget planning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oklahoma ranked last out of all fifty states for long-term budget planning, according to a major new report from the Washington, DC-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The report ranks the states according to how well… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Governor Fallin’s budget would make bad situation worse

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to Governor Fallin’s 2015 state budget proposal: Oklahoma already faces a difficult challenge this year to balance the budget without harming important services. Governor Fallin’s proposed budget takes a bad situation… Read more [More...]

A Detailed Preview of the Oklahoma Legislature’s Upcoming Session with Noted Analyst David Blatt (Public Radio Tulsa)

You can click through to the original article to hear Public Radio Tulsa’s interview with David Blatt about the 2014 Oklahoma legislative session.  By Rich Fisher The Oklahoma Legislature will convene for this year’s session on Monday, February 3rd, at… Read more [More...]

Lawmaker could fix his state’s budget shortfall twice with the tax breaks he wants to give big oil (Think Progress)

By Rebecca Leber Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon (R) is expected to announce his candidacy this week to replace Senator Tom Coburn (R), making him the newest entrant in the race against oil industry-favorite Rep. James Lankford. Shannon is working… Read more [More...]

Oil and gas tax breaks leaving millions on the table in Oklahoma (Public Radio Tulsa)

By Matt Trotter It’s not looking good for Oklahoma’s budget. State leaders expect a $170 million shortfall. This year’s budget was just half a percent larger than five years ago, without adjusting for inflation. And projections estimate a deficit of… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma governor to propose income tax cut (NewsOK)

By Sean Murphy, Associated Press Republican Gov. Mary Fallin will propose a “responsible, measured” income tax cut during next month’s State of the State speech, despite a projected $170 million shortfall in the budget for the next fiscal year, a… Read more [More...]

Republicans debate OK horizontal oil and gas drilling incentives (Oklahoma Watchdog)

By Patrick B. McGuigan Advocates of Oklahoma energy want to retain an oil and gas incentive enacted this past decade to boost drilling and production. Gov. Mary Fallin’s key fiscal adviser, however, called leaving the levy at levels reached under… Read more [More...]

Experts disagree with movement to cut Oklahoma income taxes (Public Radio Tulsa))

By Matt Trotter Cutting income taxes. The state’s been here before, and quite recently. “The [Oklahoma] Supreme Court threw the legislature a lifeline by striking down 2032,” said Oklahoma Policy Institute Director David Blatt at the organization’s budget summit last… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma revenue crunch colors budget talk (Tulsa World)

By Barbara Hoberock  Panelists on Thursday outlined a host of budget challenges facing lawmakers when they return in February to the Capitol to craft a budget. The Oklahoma Policy Institute, a Tulsa-based think tank, hosted the discussion at the Oklahoma… Read more [More...]