OK Policy Blog

Featured Read

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: FY 2024 budget misses opportunities | Protecting the state question process | Community voices make better policy

By: Dave Hamby
August 12, 2023 // Updated: August 12, 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...]

FY 2024 Budget: Lawmakers diverted taxpayer dollars to private schools, but missed opportunities to support everyday Oklahomans

By: Emma Morris
August 10, 2023 // Updated: August 17, 2023
[FY 2024 Budget Highlights] Throughout the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers discussed further reducing state revenue by cutting various taxes, with the understanding that any major tax and spending changes would only be passed as part of the state budget. As… Read more [More...]

FY 2024 Budget Highlights

By: Emma Morris
// Updated: August 10, 2023
[Download this report as a pdf] | [See charts] | [FY 2024 Budget Analysis] The FY 2024 budget makes some key investments in agencies, but misses opportunities to help everyday Oklahomans.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023 (FY… Read more [More...]

Initiative petition process is vital to Oklahoma’s democracy: Lawmakers should keep it accessible

By: Cole Allen
August 9, 2023 // Updated: July 22, 2024
Oklahoma’s lawmakers must keep our democracy strong and stop putting forward legislation designed to diminish the power of the initiative petition and state question process in Oklahoma. In 2020, Oklahomans passed State Question 802 to expand Medicaid access in Oklahoma,… Read more [More...]

Senate District 32 special election draws six candidates (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
August 8, 2023 // Updated: August 8, 2023
The race to replace Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton, who recently resigned to become CEO of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce, will be interesting and perhaps more competitive than might have been expected, given the short notice to… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Expanding access to housing | Back-to-school not rosy for all families | Capitol Update | Business rankings show cracks in foundation

By: Dave Hamby
August 5, 2023 // Updated: August 5, 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...]

Rejected House Interim Studies show breadth of issues facing state (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 31, 2023 // Updated: August 1, 2023
UPDATE (8/1/23): An earlier version said that an interim study on medical debt (Interim Study 23-69 by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa) was not approved. That study was approved.  – – – Last week, Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, approved 85 of… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma legislators need to do more to expand access to housing

By: Sabine Brown
// Updated: January 16, 2024
Co-authored by Sabine Brown, Infrastructure and Access Senior Policy Analyst for the Oklahoma Policy Institute, and Justice Jones, Homelessness and Affordable Housing Policy Analyst for Housing Solutions – – – Oklahoma is in the midst of a housing crisis. With… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Health Information Exchange | Weak politicians weaponize differences | Together OK Listening Sessions

By: Dave Hamby
July 29, 2023 // Updated: July 29, 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...]

A closer look at emergency rules for Oklahoma’s health information exchange (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 24, 2023 // Updated: July 24, 2023
It appears that, with the passage of emergency rules by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) board on July 17, the battle over the health information exchange (HIE) in Oklahoma is, at least temporarily, on pause. Those wanting a more… Read more [More...]

Search the Blog