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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

If Oklahoma wants to draw businesses, we might need to invest in our people (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 19, 2022 // Updated: July 19, 2022
I don’t know whether large companies who make location decisions tell the winners and losers the unvarnished truth about why they made their decisions or not. Probably not. They’re not required to, and the truth might not be well received… Read more [More...]

Expanding driver’s license eligibility is better for all of us

By: Gabriela Ramirez-Perez
July 18, 2022 // Updated: July 15, 2022
It’s a fact of life that getting around in Oklahoma requires a driver’s license. Because immigrants in Oklahoma who are undocumented are barred from getting one, the lack of a license presents a major challenge for 85,000 Oklahomans to get… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma lawmakers should get serious about addressing inflation

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
July 15, 2022 // Updated: July 15, 2022
Co-authors: Josie Phillips, Policy Fellow and Paul Shinn, former Budget and Tax Senior Policy Analyst — Oklahoma elected officials have called for state action to help Oklahomans who are struggling with inflation. The House of Representatives went so far as… Read more [More...]

Latest state treasurer’s report gives clues for next year’s state budget picture (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 11, 2022 // Updated: July 11, 2022
State Treasurer Randy McDaniel’s most recent “Gross Receipts to the Treasury” report that came out last week is interesting because it contains the annualized state revenue numbers for Fiscal Year 2022, which ended June 30. Although state agencies won’t know… Read more [More...]

First look at Senate interim study requests (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 5, 2022 // Updated: July 5, 2022
The Senate has published the list of 41 interim studies that have been requested this year. Unlike in the House, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, does not approve or disapprove allowing the studies. He assigns each of… Read more [More...]

[Weekly Wonk] Medicaid expansion’s impact on Oklahoma | Tribal-state coordination for child well-being | More

By: Dave Hamby
July 2, 2022 // Updated: July 2, 2022
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...]

Medicaid expansion’s rippling impact on Oklahoma

By: Emma Morris
June 28, 2022 // Updated: June 28, 2022
As of April 25, 2022, more than 280,000 Oklahomans across the state have been able to lead healthier lives because of Medicaid expansion. When voting to approve expanding Medicaid to include low-income, working-age adults, Oklahoma voters knew the benefits: expansion… Read more [More...]

Medicaid Expansion in Oklahoma: Year One

By: Emma Morris
// Updated: July 1, 2022
Medicaid Expansion in Oklahoma: Year One: When Oklahoma voters passed Medicaid expansion in June 2020, they understood the benefits that expansion would bring to the state. They knew that providing health coverage to low-income, working-age adults would improve health outcomes,… Read more [More...]

Tribal-state coordination to prioritize Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare is one way to improve child well-being

By: Vivian Morris
// Updated: June 28, 2022
Note: References to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in this article will focus on the federal laws, unless otherwise specifically referencing Oklahoma’s state laws related to the Indian Child Welfare Act. — As a state with a high population… Read more [More...]

Time will tell about effectiveness of Oklahoma’s move towards more top-down governance model (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
June 27, 2022 // Updated: June 27, 2022
Adding a new state agency is a rare event, but it happened last session when the Legislature created the new Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) as a standalone agency. The current OMMA is a division of the Oklahoma State Department… Read more [More...]

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