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This legislative session again put Tribal sovereignty in the spotlight

Note: Bill updates as of 3/27 deadline While the overwhelming majority of bills were cut at the first deadline this legislative session, there are still quite a few bills remaining to be considered, specifically in the Tribal-state space. State governments… Read more [More...]

Fact Check: Floor debate on SB 484 that would limit homelessness services in Oklahoma communities

Background: On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the Oklahoma State Senate passed Senate Bill 484, by Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman. SB 484 now advances to the House. SB 484 would prohibit any Oklahoma city with a population less than 300,000 from… Read more [More...]

Raising the minimum wage means more Oklahomans could afford housing

It’s been 16 years since Congress raised the minimum wage. Since then, rents have risen by 60 percent. The predictable result of this mismatch is drastic increases in eviction filings and homelessness. [See Oklahoma specific homeless data] Low-wage workers –… Read more [More...]

Bill would create state business court (Capitol Update)

In 2004, in response to the business establishment’s perennial call for “tort reform,” House Speaker Larry Adair and Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson authored House Bill 2661 authorizing the Oklahoma Supreme Court to create a Business Court Division within… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Lawmakers should choose targeted relief amidst budget uncertainty | Bill would revamp Oklahoma’s economic development efforts | Hands off our ‘power reserved for the people’

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...]

Bill would revamp Oklahoma’s economic development efforts (Capitol Update)

Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, Chair of the Senate Economic Development, Workforce and Tourism Committee, has been working more than two years to revamp Oklahoma’s economic development efforts, and the result was passage in the Senate last week of her Senate… Read more [More...]

Lawmakers should choose targeted relief amidst budget uncertainty

State-level budget and tax policy matters deeply for Oklahomans because it directly affects how the state can meet its obligations to our fellow residents. This includes shared services like public safety, education, transportation construction, workforce development, and other programs that… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Tracking capital punishment in Oklahoma | With immigration bills, lawmakers are playing politics with people’s lives | The legislature is working against itself on criminal justice | Are state leaders listening to everyday Oklahomans?

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...]

Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker

Oklahoma has executed more than 125 people since the modern era of capital punishment began in 1976, which is by far the nation’s highest per capita rate for executions. Given the prevalence of capital punishment in our state and the… Read more [More...]

With immigration bills, lawmakers are playing politics with people’s lives

Instead of meaningfully addressing problems that Oklahomans face, lawmakers are once again choosing to target and criminalize our immigrant friends and neighbors for political gain. So far this session, legislators filed a flurry of anti-immigrant bills, such as House Bill… Read more [More...]

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