OK Policy Blog

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Criminalizing homelessness is harmful and ineffective

By: Sabine Brown
March 30, 2024 // Updated: April 1, 2024
Proposals to criminalize homelessness are harmful and counterproductive. Research shows us that the best way to combat homelessness is to increase access to affordable housing. More...

Recent Posts

Examining the death penalty in Oklahoma: Insights from last week’s interim study (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
October 10, 2023 // Updated: October 9, 2023
The House Judiciary-Criminal Committee conducted an interim study on the death penalty last week at the request of Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow. McDugle became concerned with the way the state applies the death penalty after taking an interest in… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Lawmakers should prioritize democratic processes | Quitting our Lone Star envy | Capitol Update

By: Dave Hamby
October 7, 2023 // Updated: October 7, 2023
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...]

When lawmakers prioritize democratic processes, all Oklahomans benefit

By: Cole Allen
October 6, 2023 // Updated: October 6, 2023
Factsheet: What to know about Online Voter Registration in Oklahoma [PDF] # # # While lawmakers worked to make some improvements to Oklahoma’s democracy in the 2023 legislative session, there are still many opportunities to bring our state closer to… Read more [More...]

Economic uncertainty calls for fiscal responsibility from Oklahoma leaders, not tax cuts (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
October 3, 2023 // Updated: October 2, 2023
This week legislators will arrive at the Capitol to respond to Governor Stitt’s call for a special session. It is a safe bet that his proposal for a law to trigger an automatic repeal of any tax held by a… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Cutting state revenue creates race to the bottom | Tax cut deja vu | Poverty persists because we fail to act | More

By: Dave Hamby
September 30, 2023 // Updated: September 30, 2023
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...]

Tax cut deja vu: Governor’s income tax proposal echoes past attempts (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 26, 2023 // Updated: September 26, 2023
Those listening have heard Gov. Kevin Stitt repeat his mantra “the people of Oklahoma elected me to lay a fresh set of eyes on state government.” The implication is the people were looking for someone with new ideas. His latest… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Poverty comes from structural barriers, not personal choices | A look at the upcoming special session | More

By: Dave Hamby
September 23, 2023 // Updated: September 23, 2023
Weekly Wonk, Sept. 24, 2024 | Poverty comes from structural barriers, not personal choices | A look at the upcoming special session | More [More...]

Taking a deeper look at the latest special session call (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 19, 2023 // Updated: September 19, 2023
The Oklahoma Constitution provides for a regular session of the legislature once a year, but last week Gov. Kevin Stitt called the third special session for 2023 to begin on Oct. 3. This follows two special sessions in 2022, one in 2021, and two in 2020. Special sessions are provided for in the Constitution, but they are called Extraordinary Sessions. If the name means anything, you’d think special sessions would be rare. [More...]

Weekly Wonk: The dangers of eliminating personal income tax | Census: Oklahoma has 8th highest poverty rate | Hispanic Heritage Month | Capitol Update

By: Dave Hamby
September 16, 2023 // Updated: September 16, 2023
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...]

2022 Census data: Oklahoma remains among the nation’s poorest states; policy solutions can help reverse this trend

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
September 14, 2023 // Updated: September 19, 2023
Data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey released Sep. 14 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 15.7 percent, which was the nation’s 8th highest. The national poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5 percent, and Oklahoma’s ranking among states remained unchanged compared to 2021. [More...]

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