OK Policy Blog

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…and two steps back. First look at the state’s FY 2021 budget and what must happen next

By: Paul Shinn
June 2, 2020 // Updated: June 2, 2020
In what was likely the most unusual — and contentious — budget process in state history, the Legislature passed the state budget for FY 2021, which starts on July 1. Most allocations to agencies are in the state’s General Appropriations bill (SB 1922), which the Legislature passed despite the Governor’s veto. More...

Recent Posts

Kill the drill

By: David Blatt
March 18, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Sunday’s edition of the New York Times had a front-page report on the steep drop in drilling activity that has followed plunging oil prices in recent months. Since last summer, the number of oil and gas rigs deployed to tap… Read more [More...]

Numbers You Need – March 2009

By: David Blatt
March 17, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Numbers You Need is a monthly publication from OK Policy that presents key data on the state's economy, work force, human services and budget in one concise easy-to-read fact sheet. [More...]

Managing the fiscal pain

By: David Blatt
March 15, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last week I sat down with the editorial board of the Tulsa World to discuss the state’s worsening fiscal outlook. Julie Delcour’s column in today’s Opinion section sets out some of our main messages about the severity of the problem… Read more [More...]

Inaugural meeting of Coordinating Council for stimulus funds

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
March 13, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This afternoon at 3:00 marked the first meeting of Governor Henry’s coordinating council to oversee the use of the federal stimulus money available to Oklahoma through ARRA. All of the members of the council were in attendance for this inaugural… Read more [More...]

State Coverage Initiative looks at options for expanding coverage

By: David Blatt
// Updated: May 2, 2019
Over the past two years,  Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has been spearheading an extensive effort known as the State Coverage Initiative (SCI) to develop a plan to extend health insurance coverage to a sizable segment of the 640,000 Oklahomans who… Read more [More...]

Uh-oh!

By: David Blatt
March 12, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
The February revenue numbers are in and they are not good. The Treasurer’s office reported Tuesday that general revenue came in a whopping $103.9 million, or 30.4 percent below the certified estimate for February. In January, collections missed the estimate… Read more [More...]

Latest from the Federal Department of Education

By: David Blatt
March 11, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Federal agencies are releasing information and guidance on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) at a fast and furious pace.  The Department of Education has a webpage that has detailed information on each of the major funding streams for… Read more [More...]

Expanding the Safety Net

By: David Blatt
March 10, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
An editorial in yesterday’s Oklahoman notes how the worsening economy is having a growing impact on schools as children and families grapple with problems ranging from food insecurity to purchasing school uniforms to homelessness. The Oklahoman concludes: Schools and children… Read more [More...]

Governor announces stimulus council

By: David Blatt
// Updated: May 2, 2019
We are very pleased to learn that Governor Henry has announced the creation of a coordinating council to help oversee use of federal stimulus funds. OK Policy was out front in calling for such an entity to allow for input… Read more [More...]

Housing Starts and Stops

By: David Blatt
March 9, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Yesterday’s New York Times had a sobering profile of the housing market in Cleveland, which has experienced the post-boom collapse earlier and more deeply than most of the rest of the nation. While the situation in Cleveland, as elsewhere, has… Read more [More...]

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