OK Policy Blog

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Hard work deserves a fair wage. SQ 832 would help make that happen.

By: Gabriela Ramirez-Perez
May 15, 2026 // Updated: June 6, 2026
After years of inaction by state legislators, Oklahomans took matters into their own hands two years ago and began to gather signatures to put a state question on the ballot and finally raise the minimum wage. This ballot initiative, also… Read more More...

Recent Posts

Rethinking pretrial detention in Oklahoma (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 21, 2026 // Updated: July 21, 2026
Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, has requested an interim study entitled “Does Oklahoma have the Resources Necessary to Implement Criminal Pretrial Supervision Requirement?” The Senate, unlike the House, does not publish the specifics of interim study requests. However, from the… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma’s success depends on our Tribal Nations | A new generation is ready to lead Oklahoma | Building a stronger democracy starts with informed voters | More

By: Kati Malicoate
July 19, 2026 // Updated: July 18, 2026
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

Senate Public Safety Committee gets new leadership (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 16, 2026 // Updated: July 16, 2026
The first Senate chairmanship change for the upcoming legislative session occurred last week when Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, named Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee. Sen. Spencer Kern, R-Duncan, was named the… Read more [More...]

A new generation is ready to lead Oklahoma (Commentary)

By: Shiloh Kantz
July 13, 2026 // Updated: July 15, 2026
It’s easy to look at Oklahoma’s challenges and feel discouraged. Our public schools struggle for resources. Too many families struggle for basic needs. Rural communities fight for hospitals and essential services. Too often, political division overshadows the real solutions we… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s success depends on our Tribal Nations

By: Taylor Broadbent
// Updated: July 13, 2026
Tribal Nations are the backbone of Oklahoma, and it’s time for state leaders to act like it. Tribal governments existed before statehood, before Oklahoma’s borders were drawn, and before state leaders claimed authority over this land. Tribes are not special… Read more [More...]

The problem with Oklahoma’s plan for a tax-free future (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 6, 2026 // Updated: July 6, 2026
Another step toward Gov. Kevin Stitt’s goal of eliminating the state income tax largely went unnoticed this session. Although more complicated than his earlier flat-budget mantra, this move is, in my view, just as damaging. At the beginning of the… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: We the People means all of us | What Oklahoma House members want to study this interim

By: Kati Malicoate
July 5, 2026 // Updated: July 4, 2026
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

What Oklahoma House members want to study this interim (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
June 30, 2026 // Updated: June 30, 2026
The deadline for House of Representatives members to request interim studies was last Friday, and the House has now published those requests. In the House, studies must be approved by the Speaker, which is expected to happen before July 24th.… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma children deserve investment. When will lawmakers act? | Successful states invest in what they want to become | What the State Equalization Board meeting tells us about Oklahoma’s budget

By: Kati Malicoate
June 28, 2026 // Updated: June 26, 2026
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

What the State Equalization Board meeting tells us about Oklahoma’s budget (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
June 22, 2026 // Updated: June 22, 2026
Reports of the June 15 State Equalization Board meeting remind me of a few things about state financing that we don’t often think about. The board met to adjust the Fiscal Year 2027 revenue estimate, reflecting actions taken by the… Read more [More...]

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