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Building better paths: Oklahoma pilots new domestic violence reform (Capitol Update)

A lot of good things happen in state government that most of us citizens have never heard about. We tend to hear about some bill being introduced in the legislature that we think (or know) is downright stupid or the… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Triggered tax cuts are bad for Oklahoma | What is Tribal sovereignty? | Silence in the face of injustice puts each of us at risk | Supreme Court, Oklahoma lawmakers weigh church-state boundaries | More

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...]

Tribal-State Policy 101: What is Tribal sovereignty?

Understanding Tribal sovereignty is key to Tribal-state relations In order to better understand how the State of Oklahoma and Tribal Nations interact, it’s vital to first understand what tribal sovereignty means. Sovereignty is the authority of a self-governing group of… Read more [More...]

You shouldn’t have to touch a hot stove twice: Triggered tax cuts are bad for Oklahoma

Automatic triggered tax cuts provide little to no financial relief for low- and middle-income families, jeopardize the state's fiscal health, and limit investment in Oklahoma's already underfunded public services. [More...]

Statement: Gov.’s veto of SB 128 rejects bipartisan solution that would have helped landlords and kept Oklahomans in their homes

Gov. Stitt's veto of Senate Bill 128 is more than a missed opportunity — it's a step backward for housing stability in Oklahoma. This bipartisan bill would have added just five days to the eviction trial timeline and increased the notice period from three to seven days. Five days could mean the difference between a family staying housed or landing in a shelter. [More...]

Supreme Court, Oklahoma lawmakers weigh church-state boundaries (Capitol Update)

While the legislature was plowing its way through multiple bills toward this week’s deadline for floor passage of bills originating in the opposite chamber, issues of private religious faith in the public sector worked their way toward a conclusion. It has been a cardinal rule that public funding of private schools is prohibited by the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.  [More...]

Silence in the face of injustice puts each of us at risk (Commentary)

The federal government took less than 100 days after President Trump’s inauguration to mount an unprecedented and wholesale attack on immigrant families in America, regardless of their immigration status or criminal history. The Trump administration is destroying lawful pathways into… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: ‘Doing less with less’ hurts us all | Reducing justice-related fines and fees can offer employment opportunities | The HB 1200 tax proposal would be a terrible legacy for this session

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...]

Only smash the piggy bank in emergencies (Policy Matters)

This column originally appeared in The Journal Record on April 23, 2025 Imagine you’re saving money in case your roof starts leaking during a storm. One day, instead of fixing the roof, you decide to hand that money to someone… Read more [More...]

The HB 1200 tax proposal would be a terrible legacy for this session (Capitol Update)

As legislators draft the state budget and conclude the session, they will confront the issue of what to do with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s proposal for an income tax cut and the eventual elimination of the state income tax. House Bill… Read more [More...]

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