Category: Media

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...]

Statement: Repeal of tax cut is a milestone for Oklahoma

Oklahoma Policy Institute released a statement in response to the Legislature’s final passage of SB 170, a bill to repeal an automatic income tax cut trigger: The repeal of this tax cut is a milestone. After years of promises that… 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...]

Fallin Vetoes High-Interest Loan Bill Pushed by National Payday Lenders (Oklahoma Watch)

By Mollie Bryant Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill on Friday that would have created a loan with a 204 percent annual interest rate. In her veto message, Fallin wrote that the bill, which reflects a national push from the… Read more [More...]

Scratch This: The Fall (And Possible Rise) Of State Lotteries In Education Funding (Huffington Post)

By Kevin Mahnken The purchase of a lottery ticket offers an assurance of virtue with its promise of vice. Shell out for a Powerball or scratch ticket, ads declare, and you’ll be making a deposit to your state’s education fund… Read more [More...]

Statement: HB 1913 creates unnecessary, abusive loans; Gov. Fallin should veto

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to the Legislature’s passage of HB 1913: It is very disappointing that the Legislature has approved HB 1913. This bill was ​drafted ​and lobbied aggressively by the payday loan industry​. By… Read more [More...]

Earned Income Tax Credit helps low-income families (Muskogee Phoenix)

By D.E. Smoot About 331,000 eligible workers and families in Oklahoma shared $844 million as a result of the federal earned income tax credit, and some of those taxpayers qualified for a refund thanks to a similar state credit.   … Read more [More...]

‘Perfect storm’ shutting down Oklahoma’s next tax cut (The Oklahoman)

By Dale Denwalt Oklahomans expecting an income tax cut will probably have to keep waiting. Lawmakers have approved a bill repealing the next automatic cut, which could trigger as state revenues improve. The Oklahoma House overwhelmingly supported the measure on… Read more [More...]

Save Our State proposes budget ‘Oklahomans deserve’ (Red Dirt Report)

By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY – On Tuesday, the Save Our State (SOS) coalition, a group of more than 21 statewide organizations ranging from education to mental health to basic human needs, unveiled their budget blueprint for Oklahoma’s current fiscal… Read more [More...]