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

Weekly Wonk: Attracting a new generation of teachers | Help Oklahoma get covered, stay covered | The value of shopping local | More

By: Dave Hamby
December 2, 2023 // Updated: December 2, 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...]

Attracting a new generation of teachers (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
November 28, 2023 // Updated: November 28, 2023
If a blue ribbon study were conducted today, it’s likely the most urgent threats to America’s schools would be (1) not enough people want to be a teacher, and (2) too many students are chronically absent from school. Solutions would be difficult both to agree upon and to implement.  [More...]

Weekly Wonk: A look at tribal-state policy issues | No Oklahoman should go hungry | Capitol Update | More

By: Dave Hamby
November 25, 2023 // Updated: November 25, 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...]

Updated youth justice campus in Tecumseh provides opportunities for Oklahoma kids (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
November 22, 2023 // Updated: November 22, 2023
It was recently announced by the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) that the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center (COJC), located in Tecumseh, completed its American Correctional Association (ACA) audit and received a 100 percent compliance score of the 38 mandatory files… Read more [More...]

The 2023 legislative session included significant tribal-state bills and a respect for tribal sovereignty from state lawmakers

By: Vivian Morris
November 21, 2023 // Updated: November 22, 2023
Oklahoma has the second-highest share of tribal citizens of any state, which helps shape the fabric of our state’s culture and communities. This year, the Oklahoma legislature demonstrated this influence by including and valuing Native Oklahomans and tribal leaders in… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Minding the gap for youth justice | Churn in state agency leadership | Tribal-state compacts | More

By: Dave Hamby
November 18, 2023 // Updated: November 18, 2023
Weekly Wonk, Nov. 18, 2023: Minding the gap for youth justice | Churn in state agency leadership | Tribal-state compacts | More [More...]

State experiencing churn in agency directors (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
November 14, 2023 // Updated: November 14, 2023
With the change giving the governor the hiring and firing of agency directors, the state will continue to see more turnover in agency leadership. Political appointees will come and go rather than seeing their job as a career. In the five agencies above, a majority of the boards are appointed by the governor and serve at the pleasure of the governor so, in effect, the governor can control both the boards and the directors. [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma still reeling from decades of budget cuts | Respecting tribal sovereignty starts at the top | Youth justice

By: Dave Hamby
November 11, 2023 // Updated: November 11, 2023
Weekly Wonk, Nov. 12, 2023: Oklahoma still reeling from decades of budget cuts | Respecting tribal sovereignty starts at the top | Youth justice [More...]

Years of unrestored budget cuts have kept vital state agencies underfunded (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
November 6, 2023 // Updated: November 6, 2023
During the decade downturn in the state’s economy, state agencies were hollowed out. When the economy turned around, the governor insisted on agencies submitting flat budget requests to the legislature and “saving” the increased revenue in various accounts. Then he used the “savings” to demand tax cuts.  [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma should invest in youth justice | Fear is an ineffective policy tool | Gov. should work with tribes on tax issues

By: Dave Hamby
November 4, 2023 // Updated: November 4, 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...]

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