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2024 Census data: Oklahoma ranks as 8th poorest state

By: Dave Hamby
September 11, 2025 // Updated: September 12, 2025
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, released Sept. 11, show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 14.9 percent, which means that more than 1 in 7 state residents live in poverty. While the state’s overall poverty rate… Read more More...

Recent Posts

“Work requirements” won’t work for Oklahoma

By: Kati Malicoate
November 23, 2025 // Updated: November 23, 2025
Few policy ideas have proven as persistent — or misleading — as the notion that forcing people to work will lift them out of poverty. The Big Beautiful Bill, or House Resolution 1 (H.R. 1), revives that same flawed logic:… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Respecting Tribal sovereignty is the path to Oklahoma’s progress | Conflict over executive power halts Stitt’s executive order | More

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
// Updated: November 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...]

Smarter Ways to Support OK Policy

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
November 21, 2025 // Updated: November 21, 2025
Qualified Charitable Distribution from your Individual Retirement Account A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows individuals with an annual required minimum distribution (RMD) to transfer funds from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to a charitable organization, such as OK Policy. This… Read more [More...]

In The Know: Data centers, bitcoin mining concern Oklahoma communities | State Ed Board seeks to reduce reliance on emergency certification | More

By: Dave Hamby
// Updated: November 21, 2025
In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the… Read more [More...]

Implementing HB 1575: National Best Practices on Reducing IT Project Risk | Oklahoma House Interim Study | Oct. 8, 2025

By: Anthony Flores
November 19, 2025 // Updated: November 19, 2025
•Watch: via YouTube •View: Presentation slides (PDF) •Learn: De-risking Government Technology Guide •See also: Bruce Gros’ experience applying for public assistance managed by state agencies In spring 2025, lawmakers approved a feasibility study (House Bill 1575) about creating a unified… Read more [More...]

Navigating red tape: An Oklahoman shares his story about difficulties applying for public assistance programs managed by state agencies | Oklahoma House Interim Study | Oct. 8, 2025

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
// Updated: November 19, 2025
•Watch: via YouTube •See also: OK Policy’s Anthony Flores’ presentation on national best practices for managing large IT projects  Making applications for public assistance easier and more user-friendly is important for both the Oklahomans who need help and the state… Read more [More...]

Conflict over executive power halts Stitt’s executive order (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
November 17, 2025 // Updated: November 17, 2025
There are interesting goings on at the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority (OHCA) regarding Governor Kevin Stitt’s July 31, 2025, executive order requiring that OHCA “shall require, as a condition of participation in the SoonerCare program, that all providers submit a signed… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: What we get wrong about homelessness and mental health | Oklahoma has a chance to build a youth justice system rooted in hope. Will we? | The shutdown held a mirror to Oklahoma’s choices

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
November 16, 2025 // Updated: November 15, 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...]

Clara Luper Plaza dedication honors Oklahoma’s role in civil rights history (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
November 13, 2025 // Updated: November 13, 2025
Opinion: Clara Luper resisted Oklahoma City segregation. What change will you make? [Former Sen. Angela Monson / The Oklahoman] Occasionally, something happens that makes you especially proud of your state. One of those moments occurred Saturday, November 1, when the… Read more [More...]

What we get wrong about homelessness and mental health (Commentary)

By: Sabine Brown
November 12, 2025 // Updated: November 16, 2025
Too often, when conversations about homelessness come up, someone says it: “Well, they’re all mentally ill.” It’s a comment tossed off as fact, but it reveals something deeper — not truth, but comfort. If homelessness is just the result of… Read more [More...]

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