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Oklahoma ranks 46th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, highlighting lawmakers’ misplaced priorities

New report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds Oklahoma remained among the worst states for child well-being, reflecting the failure of state leaders to invest in a better future for our children. • 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book •… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Immigration, housing, Tribal-state policy highlights from 2025 #okleg session | Contentious budget negotiations opened door for governor’s business court plans | When lawmakers cut budgets, it rolls downhill

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’s legislature missed key opportunities to address housing crisis

Oklahoma’s housing crisis is worsening. During the 2025 legislative session, state lawmakers had multiple opportunities to reduce evictions, update the Landlord-Tenant Act, and increase Oklahoma’s supply of housing stock. They punted on nearly all of them: Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed… Read more [More...]

Policy Matters: When lawmakers cut budgets, it rolls downhill

In government, just like in nature, everything rolls downhill. And when budget cuts start cascading downwards, it’s not the mountaintop that feels the hit – it’s the town in the valley. [More...]

Lessons learned from SB 675 shed light on the importance of Tribal-state policy

There is a continued need for shared, strategic decisions that will shape the state's current and future policy-making with Tribal nations. For example, the processes, or lack thereof, surrounding Senate Bill 675 shed light on both lessons that should be learned around respecting Tribal sovereignty and engaging in direct Tribal consultation before making decisions that directly affect Tribal Nations. [More...]

Contentious budget negotiations opened door for governor’s business court plans (Capitol Update)

During contentious budget negotiations between the House and Senate at the end of the 2024 session, Gov. Kevin Stitt seized the opportunity to make a deal with legislators not to veto the general appropriations bill — if lawmakers agreed to… Read more [More...]

Common sense prevailed this year, but anti-immigrant sentiment still threatens Oklahoma

Oklahoma has never been the most welcoming state for immigrants. In recent years, however, heightened racist and nativist sentiment in the U.S. — along with President Trump’s push for mass deportations — has ratcheted up the amount of anti-immigrant efforts… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: New data shows state’s housing crisis is worsening | Oklahoma destined to remain poor state without investments | New federal budget bill would harm our children, families

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...]

New data shows Oklahoma’s housing crisis is worsening

New data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition confirms what Oklahomans already know: our housing crisis is getting worse. Oklahoma needs nearly 85,000 rental homes to meet the needs of extremely low-income renters. More than 7 out of 10… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma destined to remain poor state without investments (Capitol Update)

It is almost certain those running our state are making a serious mistake with the $340 million tax cut passed by the legislature last week. The best evidence of that is the debate made by the chairman of the Senate… Read more [More...]

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