OK Policy Blog

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2023 Census data: Oklahoma ranks as sixth poorest state

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
September 12, 2024 // Updated: September 12, 2024
Lawmakers have options to improve Oklahomans’ well-being, access to prosperity Data from the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey released Sept. 12 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 15.9 percent, which was the nation’s sixth highest. The national poverty rate… Read more More...

Recent Posts

Weekly Wonk: Community-led crisis response is working, but Oklahoma needs a statewide solution | Making Oklahoma healthy requires more than a slogan | Oklahoma’s “failure to protect” law under scrutiny in new interim study

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
July 13, 2025 // Updated: July 11, 2025
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...]

Community-led crisis response is working, but Oklahoma needs a statewide solution (Commentary)

By: Kati Malicoate
July 11, 2025 // Updated: July 11, 2025
Oklahoma City's new Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program represents a meaningful step toward the justice reform envisioned by Oklahoma voters nearly a decade ago. But expanding similar services beyond metro areas requires sustained commitment and investment from the state. [More...]

Oklahoma’s “failure to protect” law under scrutiny in new interim study (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 7, 2025 // Updated: July 7, 2025
Last week, Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, announced that senators had requested 90 interim studies to be conducted while the legislature is out of session. In the Senate, interim studies are assigned to various standing committees, and the… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Statement from the OK Policy on passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” | True patriotism means speaking up | Lawsuit challenges constitutionality of new business court law | More

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
July 6, 2025 // Updated: July 5, 2025
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...]

Statement from the Oklahoma Policy Institute on passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill”

By: Shiloh Kantz
July 3, 2025 // Updated: July 5, 2025
On July 3, 2025, H.R.1 — also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — cleared both chambers of Congress and now heads to the President’s desk for final approval. Statement from OK Policy’s Executive Director Shiloh Kantz:  Today’s… Read more [More...]

Lawsuit challenges constitutionality of new business court law (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
June 30, 2025 // Updated: July 3, 2025
It didn’t take long for a challenge to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s new business courts to be filed in the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The lawsuit, filed last week,  asked the court to declare the law — which is scheduled to go… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Youth justice recap during this #okleg session | Protests get likes; voting gets results | Cash bail doesn’t make us safer, but pretrial reform can

By: Dave Hamby
June 28, 2025 // Updated: June 28, 2025
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...]

Cash bail doesn’t make us safer, but pretrial reform can (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
June 23, 2025 // Updated: June 23, 2025
It may be time for the legislature to take another look at pretrial release reform in Oklahoma. Cash bail bonds are typically based primarily on the charges filed and include little, if any, evidence-based assessment of flight risk or danger… Read more [More...]

One step forward for youth this session, two steps back on investment

By: Jill Mencke
June 22, 2025 // Updated: June 23, 2025
Oklahoma lawmakers passed new legislation this year to help protect and support children, especially those in foster care, the legal system, and with special needs. While these changes aim to keep kids safe, support families, and improve access to state… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma’s unsustainable budget | A not terrible year for justice reform | Medicaid cuts will endanger lives of Oklahomans

By: Dave Hamby
June 21, 2025 // Updated: June 21, 2025
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...]

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