OK Policy Blog

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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

School meals are a lifeline for Oklahoma families. P-EBT extends that lifeline to ensure children get the food they need. (Guest Post)

By: Guest
September 30, 2020 // Updated: September 29, 2020
Food insecurity is a major issue in Oklahoma. Prior to the pandemic, 1 in 5 children lived in households where access to food wasn’t always reliable. Now, due to the broad economic impact of COVID-19, it is projected that in… Read more [More...]

Interim study considers proposed state race and equality commission (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 29, 2020 // Updated: September 29, 2020
A short interim study was held last week on Senate Bill 1286 that was introduced by Sen. George Young, D-OKC, at the beginning of last session. The bill would have created a 30-member Oklahoma Commission on Race and Equality to… Read more [More...]

The Weekly Wonk: COVID-19 in Oklahoma prisons is a moral emergency | Interim studies examine police reform | Building community unity

By: Dave Hamby
September 27, 2020 // Updated: September 27, 2020
COVID-19 in Oklahoma prisons is a moral emergency; Policy Matters: Fulfilling our moral responsibility; Interim studies examine police reform measures; Building Community Unity. [More...]

Oklahoma City man experiences health care disparities first hand

By: Miguel Rios
September 24, 2020 // Updated: January 5, 2021
Ricardo Chavez has been helping his family navigate through health care access since he could walk. After relying on Medicaid himself years later, he witnessed firsthand the disparity that exists between those with quality access to health care and those without. [More...]

Interim studies examine police reform measures (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 23, 2020 // Updated: September 26, 2020
It is an open question whether any sort of law enforcement reform will make it across the finish line during the session next year. The call for reform increased exponentially after the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota and other… Read more [More...]

Too many Oklahomans live in poverty, but addressing it takes multifaceted approach (Weekly Wonk)

By: Dave Hamby
September 20, 2020 // Updated: September 19, 2020
Census data show Oklahoma still lags nation in poverty rate; Policy Matters: Poverty is an issue, now more than ever; Education Secretary appointment may set up interesting dynamic; State has a moral and legal duty to protect inmates from COVID-19. [More...]

COVID-19 in Oklahoma prisons is a moral emergency

By: Damion Shade
September 19, 2020 // Updated: September 22, 2020
Numerous prisons in this state are battling growing outbreaks, but Oklahoma’s policymakers still have time to act. [More...]

Census data show Oklahoma still lags nation in poverty rate

By: Josie Phillips
September 17, 2020 // Updated: January 25, 2022
Proposed policy solutions • Second federal relief package • Implement Oklahoma’s Medicaid expansion quickly • Enforce federal eviction moratorium • Rent assistance New Census data released today show Oklahoma’s poverty rate remained higher than the national average in 2019 but… Read more [More...]

Education Secretary appointment may set up interesting dynamic (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 14, 2020 // Updated: September 14, 2020
Gov. Kevin Stitt recently announced the appointment of Ryan Walters, a young former classroom teacher from McAlester, as his new Secretary of Education. Walters, who was McAlester Teacher of the Year in 2015 and a finalist for State Teacher of… Read more [More...]

The Weekly Wonk: Congress needs to deliver bipartisan relief bill | State moving away from private prisons | More

By: Dave Hamby
September 12, 2020 // Updated: September 12, 2020
Policy Matters: ‘Skinny’ relief bill is inadequate; Oklahoma’s move away from private prisons (Capitol Update); Oklahomans deserve transparency from state leaders. [More...]

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