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Private charity is no replacement for the public safety net (Guest post: Chris Moore)

Chris Moore is the senior minister at Fellowship Congregational United Church of Christ in Tulsa. Chris serves on the boards of JustHope, a non-profit that works to combat extreme poverty, and the Tulsa Sponsoring Committee, a community organizing effort. Having… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma thinks the unthinkable with health care cuts

Should Oklahoma strip Medicaid health care coverage from people least able to afford insurance on their own? In a state that trails most of the nation in uninsured rates and health outcomes, who could defend this? Should the Department of… Read more [More...]

Push to privatize Medicaid could disrupt care for seniors and Oklahomans with disabilities

As directed by a law created last year, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) spent much of the fall exploring options to move the roughly 180,000 SoonerCare patients who are aged, blind, or have one or more disabilities (ABD) into… Read more [More...]

The Weekly Wonk: The tax shift rears its ugly head, teacher pay proposals (probably) stalled, and 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...]

Whose side are they on? (Capitol Updates)

Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. You can sign up on his website to receive the Capitol Updates newsletter by email.… Read more [More...]

Teacher pay raise proposals probably going nowhere this session

Giving Oklahoma’s teachers a pay raise has been proclaimed as one of the highest priorities of legislators and Governor Mary Fallin this session. Despite a $1.3 billion budget shortfall and the near certainty of cuts to all state agencies, including… Read more [More...]

Why volunteer tax preparation is key to keeping Americans out of poverty

Millions of low- and moderate-income working families in the United States benefit from a couple of key tax credits that are among the most important ways that we keep people out of poverty and support children’s development. But to receive… Read more [More...]

The tax shift rears its head

Last week the Oklahoma Senate Finance Committee approved SB 977, a bill that would suspend 23 tax credits for the next two years as a way to partially address the state’s massive budget shortfall. While the bill targets numerous credits,… Read more [More...]

New Mexico stopped civil asset forfeiture abuse; Oklahoma can, too

Civil asset forfeiture is a legal tool that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. Under the current civil asset forfeiture laws in Oklahoma and several other states, law enforcement can seize and keep property suspected of being used in or… Read more [More...]

The Weekly Wonk: Growing prison population, protections for pregnant workers, and 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...]

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