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Weekly Wonk: IRS-ICE agreement breaks public trust | State budget deal announced | This is a bad time for a tax cut | Capitol Update

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...]

A bad time for a tax cut (Commentary)

I've seen 12 Oklahoma legislative sessions, and I am at this point pretty well accustomed to the mounting drama at 23rd and Lincoln as sine die draws near. However, this spring has been even wilder than usual. Topped off by Wednesday's surprise announcement that the governor and legislative leaders had, behind closed doors, struck a deal with both an immediate tax cut and a triggered tax cut. [More...]

OK Policy Statement on FY 26 Budget Process and Proposed Tax Cuts

While the governor says he wants to make Oklahoma more "pro-business," his rhetoric doesn't match what business leaders call for. Instead of investing in these areas, this proposal includes poorly designed tax cuts that will strip hundreds of millions from state revenue — making it even harder to deliver on the basics Oklahomans expect. [More...]

IRS-ICE tax data deal betrays public trust and endangers immigrants (Commentary)

Contrary to popular rhetoric, undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes. Nearly three decades ago, the Internal Revenue Service created the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number so individuals ineligible for a Social Security Number could comply… Read more [More...]

Building better paths: Oklahoma pilots new domestic violence reform (Capitol Update)

A lot of good things happen in state government that most of us citizens have never heard about. We tend to hear about some bill being introduced in the legislature that we think (or know) is downright stupid or the… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Triggered tax cuts are bad for Oklahoma | What is Tribal sovereignty? | Silence in the face of injustice puts each of us at risk | Supreme Court, Oklahoma lawmakers weigh church-state boundaries | More

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...]

Tribal-State Policy 101: What is Tribal sovereignty?

Understanding Tribal sovereignty is key to Tribal-state relations In order to better understand how the State of Oklahoma and Tribal Nations interact, it’s vital to first understand what tribal sovereignty means. Sovereignty is the authority of a self-governing group of… Read more [More...]

You shouldn’t have to touch a hot stove twice: Triggered tax cuts are bad for Oklahoma

Automatic triggered tax cuts provide little to no financial relief for low- and middle-income families, jeopardize the state's fiscal health, and limit investment in Oklahoma's already underfunded public services. [More...]

Statement: Gov.’s veto of SB 128 rejects bipartisan solution that would have helped landlords and kept Oklahomans in their homes

Gov. Stitt's veto of Senate Bill 128 is more than a missed opportunity — it's a step backward for housing stability in Oklahoma. This bipartisan bill would have added just five days to the eviction trial timeline and increased the notice period from three to seven days. Five days could mean the difference between a family staying housed or landing in a shelter. [More...]

Supreme Court, Oklahoma lawmakers weigh church-state boundaries (Capitol Update)

While the legislature was plowing its way through multiple bills toward this week’s deadline for floor passage of bills originating in the opposite chamber, issues of private religious faith in the public sector worked their way toward a conclusion. It has been a cardinal rule that public funding of private schools is prohibited by the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.  [More...]

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