OK Policy Blog

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Criminalizing homelessness is harmful and ineffective

By: Sabine Brown
March 30, 2024 // Updated: April 1, 2024
Proposals to criminalize homelessness are harmful and counterproductive. Research shows us that the best way to combat homelessness is to increase access to affordable housing. More...

Recent Posts

Upcoming Event: Fall Forum for child advocates

By: David Blatt
September 3, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy’s annual Fall Children’s Legislative Forum will be held Tuesday, October 12th and Wednesday, October 13th.  The theme this year is “Protect Kids”, and the main goal of the event will be to create consensus… Read more [More...]

Revenue from voter-approved "sin taxes" grew in FY 10, but pace is slowing

By: David Blatt
September 1, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved a series of measures intended to raise new revenues for education and health care through a state lottery (SQ 705 and 706), gaming compacts (SQ 712), and increased tobacco taxes (SQ 713).  OK Policy has… Read more [More...]

John Thompson: Liberals and conservatives agree, early reading comprehension is the key

By: David Blatt
August 30, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
John Thompson is an Oklahoma City teacher with 18 years of urban high school experience and an education blogger at thisweekineducation.com. He contributes regularly to our blog on education issues. In 2000, when serving on the Steering Committee for MAPS… Read more [More...]

Crisis or correction? Exploring the sharp swings in state spending

By: David Blatt
August 26, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
The recent history of state appropriations, displayed here from our FY ’11 Budget Highlights fact sheet, shows a  series of successive ups and downs: We see that the state appropriated budget for the current year, FY ’11, is 5.8 percent… Read more [More...]

Limiting itemized deductions would improve the fairness and adequacy of the state income tax

By: David Blatt
August 25, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Earlier this year, we called attention to one of the stranger loopholes in the Oklahoma tax code, the case of the “double deduction” of state income taxes.  Federal tax law allows taxpayers who itemize their deductions to claim a deduction… Read more [More...]

Guest blog (Ryan Kiesel): SQ 756 – Voters to decide fate of health care reform. But not really

By: David Blatt
August 23, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Ryan Kiesel, the author of this guest blog, has served as State Representative from District 28 since 2004 and is not seeking reelection.  Ryan is the leader of the Oklahoma Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society. This November, Oklahoma… Read more [More...]

From the Department of Hopeless Causes: A nickname by any other name…

By: David Blatt
August 20, 2010 // Updated: October 17, 2012
Okay, we’ll give this another shot. We’re not OPI (although we like the ‘dedicated to excellence’ part): A family-owned company committed to the highest quality products and to our customers’ well-being, OPI has long been a leader in the community… Read more [More...]

Regional meetings to look at assets and economic security

By: David Blatt
August 19, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Oklahoma Asset Building Coalition is hosting a series of regional meetings on asset building strategies for increasing the financial security of families and communities throughout Oklahoma. Anyone working in the private sector, public sector or a non-profit with an… Read more [More...]

Health care reform (4): Tax credits for small business

By: David Blatt
August 18, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This is the fourth in an ongoing series of posts looking at the impact of the new federal health care reform law on Oklahoma and Oklahomans. Our previous posts have explored the “cliff effect” , the  impact on state budgets… Read more [More...]

SQ 746: Would voter ID proposal solve a problem or create one?

By: David Blatt
August 16, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Everyone would agree that the right to vote is one of the most basic and cherished freedoms in a democracy. A ballot measure facing Oklahoma’s voters in November, SQ 746, raises the question of whether protecting the right to vote… Read more [More...]

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