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Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma children deserve investment. When will lawmakers act? | Successful states invest in what they want to become | What the State Equalization Board meeting tells us about Oklahoma’s budget

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...]

What the State Equalization Board meeting tells us about Oklahoma’s budget (Capitol Update)

Reports of the June 15 State Equalization Board meeting remind me of a few things about state financing that we don’t often think about. The board met to adjust the Fiscal Year 2027 revenue estimate, reflecting actions taken by the… Read more [More...]

Property tax cuts aren’t the real driver of housing costs

Oklahomans are frustrated by rising housing costs, but this session, lawmakers are targeting the wrong culprit. While property taxes are drawing most of the attention at the Capitol this year, the real cost surge — homeowners’ insurance — remains largely… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma children deserve investment. When will lawmakers act?

Oklahoma children face a host of challenges that stem from the conditions and policies shaping life in our state – nearly 1 in 4 Oklahoma children experience food insecurity, children of color are overrepresented in the youth justice system, and… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Recent anti-immigrant policy proves Oklahomans are not the priority | SQ 832 turnout shows many don’t feel their vote matters | SQ 832 fell short, but working families still need action | 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...]

Oklahoma ranks 48th in education, but lawmakers are betting on literacy reform (Capitol Update)

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, published earlier this month, ranked Oklahoma 44th in overall child well-being, keeping the state among the bottom 10 nationwide. Oklahoma’s lowest major-category ranking was in education, where it placed 48th.… Read more [More...]

Recent anti-immigrant policy proves Oklahomans are not the priority

When lawmakers go to the Capitol, they’re supposed to put their constituents first and work to improve their lives. However, this year, lawmakers passed or supported legislation that will directly harm Oklahomans, regardless of their immigration status. Senate Bill 1633… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: 2026 KIDS COUNT: Oklahoma ranks 44th for child well-being | Our kids aren’t failing. We’re failing our kids | Politics and budget constraints stalled needed criminal justice reforms | 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...]

Politics and budget constraints stalled needed criminal justice reforms

The 2026 Oklahoma legislative session saw disappointingly few needed criminal justice reforms become law. Over the past few years, the legislature and the governor have built momentum for positive criminal justice reforms, but those efforts fell flat this year. Between… Read more [More...]

HB 3742 brings long-needed discovery reforms to Oklahoma courts (Capitol Update)

Although Oklahoma ranks 4th in the nation for incarceration per 100,000 people, reforms aimed at making the criminal legal system fairer and less reliant on incarceration remain difficult to achieve. If incarcerating people at a higher rate than 46 other… Read more [More...]

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