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Continuing bleak revenue collections provide no easy solutions

Yesterday’s announcement of state revenue collections for September marked the end of a truly dismal quarter. Collections for the 1st quarter of FY ’10 were 29.5 percent below the first three months of FY ’09. The graph below shows that… Read more [More...]

Taking credit: Task Force explores use and misuse of transferable tax credits

Are tax breaks for businesses a legitimate tool of economic development, or a form of corporate welfare? The fact is they can be either. The challenge is telling the two apart and ensuring through clear legislative language and ongoing oversight… Read more [More...]

No free lunch: The cost and national security implications of school lunch

On September 30th, I attended a Leadership OK conference with an emphasis on health. Oklahoma and the United States have some disturbing statistics related to our health, specifically the obesity rates. The surprising part is how far reaching the implications are.… Read more [More...]

Losing our voice – a true champion for children bids farewell

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, several hundred Oklahomans from diverse walks of life will get together on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond for an event, organized by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy,  known as the Fall Forum. … Read more [More...]

The new Online Budget Guide shows where we are and asks where we should be

Today we released our long-awaited Online Budget Guide, a comprehensive resource exploring how Oklahoma’s state and local government collect and spend money to provide public services. While the Guide is packed full of facts and figures and works as both… Read more [More...]

How much budget cutting is too much?–SQ 744 and this year's revenue shortfall

The House of Representatives Appropriation and Budget Committee recently held hearings on an interim study of State Question 744. State Question 744, also known as the HOPE petition, is an initiative sponsored by the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) that would… Read more [More...]

Something on your mind? Share your thoughts on our blog

Last week we posted a guest blog on a legislative proposal to change the treatment of military retirement income, which set off a small firestorm of controversy in our comments section. In the six months or so that we’ve been… Read more [More...]

The racial wealth gap

It is widely known that minorities in the United States earn considerably less than Whites – according to the most recent Census Bureau data, the median income for a White household in 2008 was 34.5 percent greater than for a… Read more [More...]

OICA Fall Forum offers an opportunity to shape policy for children

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) hosts its annual Fall Forum in Edmond on October 13 and 14. This unique event brings together hundreds of opinion leaders and advocates to identify issues affecting children. Participants work together to help… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog: Will Oklahoma be first to discriminate against military spouses in divorces?

From time to time, we will use the OK Policy blog to post submissions we receive from Oklahomans who have interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. This submission is from Karin Brandenburg, an Oklahoman who works in… Read more [More...]

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