Category: Bill Watch

Everything you should know about Oklahoma’s special sessions

Governor Mary Fallin called two special sessions of the Legislature in 2017-18.  The first was aimed at filling a $215 million hole to the budgets of three health agencies – the Department of Mental Health and Substance Services, Department of… Read more [More...]

Bill Watch: Ways to help Oklahoma families build wealth this legislative session

This post is the first in a series highlighting key bills in several issues areas that we’re following.  Last session, working families saw little in the way of help from the Legislature.  As the budget crisis continued, core services suffered… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s 2018 legislative session begins today. Our updated Legislative Primer will help you follow what’s happening.

What are the steps for a bill to become law? Who chairs key legislative committees and who serves in the governor’s cabinet? What does it mean to “strike the title” of a bill? As the 2018 Oklahoma Legislative session gets… Read more [More...]

Statement: Disappointing results and hope for the future in this year’s legislative session

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement on the final results of Oklahoma’s 2017 regular legislative session: If we look only at the bills that made it through the full legislative process to be signed by the governor, most Oklahomans would… Read more [More...]

A new way to get our action alerts

Events can move fast in the Oklahoma Legislature, especially in the last weeks of May just before adjournment. New bills or amendments – or even the entire state budget – can be introduced and rushed through before constituents have much… Read more [More...]

Be prepared for the 2017 session with the new Legislative Primer

Whether you are a veteran advocate, a complete novice to Oklahoma politics, or anyone in between, the 2017 Legislative Primer will provide you invaluable information in a concise, user-friendly format. Read more... [More...]

Yes, non-profits can (and should) lobby

If you want to know about the stock market, you ask a broker. If you want to know what that weird noise is when you turn on your car, you ask a mechanic. If you want to know how public… Read more [More...]

Demystify Oklahoma’s policy process with the 2016 Legislative Primer

How many bills made it into law last year? What do legislators get paid? Who’s in Governor Fallin’s cabinet? As the 2016 Oklahoma Legislative session gets underway, our newly updated Legislative Primer will answer these questions and more. Whether you… Read more [More...]

Two insider takes on the 2015 legislative session

Editor’s note: We came across these two thoughtful takes on the 2015 session, with a particular emphasis on the budget, from Senate Republican Mike Mazzei and House Democrat Ben Loring. Their assessments offer some stark contrasts but also some surprising… Read more [More...]

Seven ways to get your legislators’ attention

This post by OK Policy’s Outreach Specialist Kara Joy McKee originally appeared on togetherok.org. Does this sound familiar? You hear about some out-there proposal at the state Legislature, or you know about some good idea that’s not getting done, and… Read more [More...]