Category: Media Coverage

Big Oil is set to make a lot more money in Oklahoma, why can’t it pay more taxes? (Tulsa World)

By Wayne Greene The critical issue behind all of the recent turmoil at the state Capitol — and one of the keys to a revenue solution for Oklahoma — is the gross production tax. That’s the tax the state applies… Read more [More...]

Democratic Norms Are Under Attack, and Not Just by Trump (Governing)

By Alan Greenblatt Like the president, state politicians are playing by new rules and openly trying to undermine critics who threaten their power — whether they’re lawmakers, reporters or voters. In February, a plane flew a protest banner above the… Read more [More...]

Bill now requires cross-state insurers cover Oklahoma mandates (News OK)

By Dale Denwalt The latest version of a bill that lets insurance companies sell policies across state lines requires those plans to include Oklahoma mandates. Senate Bill 478 would free up out-of-state insurers to market here to individual buyers. The… Read more [More...]

Coalition crafts budget blueprint to solve state’s shortfall (Enid News)

By Janelle Stecklein OKLAHOMA CITY — Members of Oklahoma’s Save Our State Coalition acknowledge when organizers put out their emergency “SOS” call that a group of seemingly strange bedfellows responded. After all, in today’s divisive political climate where longtime allies… Read more [More...]

Tulsa’s Teacher of the Year: We cannot continue at this rate (Tulsa World)

By Elizabeth Steinocher Every single day, I get to wake up and work with the most incredible minds. Every day, I get to see these young minds tackle problems and learn to work through something with a friend. Every day,… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma Legislature Departs From Trump Plan on Tax Deduction (Bloomberg BNA)

By Paul Stinson A bill putting Oklahoma among the first states to decouple from the federal tax code in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tax reform proposal is on the governor’s desk following Senate passage. The legislation separates the… Read more [More...]

House Trumpcare measure fails primary test — First, do no harm (Tulsa World editorial)

By World’s Editorial Writers By a narrow margin, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the American Health Care Act, the long awaited “repeal and replace” alternative to “Obamacare.” The bill eliminates one of the least popular elements of “Obamacare,”… Read more [More...]

Fallin vetoes shameful small loan legislation (Tulsa World editorial)

By World’s Editorial Writers Gov. Mary Fallin did the right thing when she vetoed House Bill 1913, a proposal to create an expensive new form of payday lending that could charge customers up to 204 percent annual interest. Shame on… Read more [More...]

How one American city is coping with a broken state budget (The Economist)

DAN ZIELINSKI, director of the planetarium at Jenks High School in Oklahoma, whizzes through his greatest hits. First he projects onto its dome a 3D image of a human heart; next comes the Sistine Chapel, then the solar system. The… Read more [More...]

Flashpoint, OkPolicy breakfast reveal budget solutions (NONDOC)

By John Thompson  During a budget-briefing breakfast hosted by Oklahoma Policy Institute on April 26, executive director David Blatt drew upon Bob Dylan’s saddest lyrics to warn that the first half of his presentation would be unrelentingly depressing. It included the… Read more [More...]