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Shameless Self-Promotion Dept: Budget forum at UCO

Straight off the press release. Note especially the “free and open to the public” part. Come cheer me on! The University of Central Oklahoma Policy Institute will be host for a panel discussion – “Oklahoma’s budget crisis in the midst… Read more [More...]

Stop digging! Top income tax rate cut should be suspended until revenues have recovered

Even assuming that we are in the early stages of what will eventually be a robust economic recovery, Oklahoma’s budget crisis is not going to end anytime soon. Revenue collections this year and next are projected to come in 20… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Amy Santee): Turning The Tide On Female Incarceration

From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post submissions we receive from Oklahomans who have interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. This entry is from Amy Santee, Senior Program Officer with George Kaiser… Read more [More...]

Piling on the Sunshine: New measures would make more spending information publicly available

If, as Judge Louis Brandeis famously stated, “Sunshine is the best disinfectant”, the Oklahoma Legislature seems to be on a bit of a cleaning frenzy. Several bills making their way through the legislative process this session HB 3422, SB 1633… Read more [More...]

Hurting all over: A survey of some recent state and local budget cuts

As revenues have come in significantly below estimates this year, funding to state agencies was cut 5 percent a month from August to November and 10 percent each month since (see our updated fact sheet). OK Policy’s intern Matt Gardner… Read more [More...]

Of tax increases, revenue bills, SQ 640… and ducks

With Oklahoma facing a gaping budget hole for the upcoming fiscal year of anywhere from $850 million to $1.6 billion,  depending on one’s calculations, the search for new revenues to fill the gap and avoid devastating cuts to services has… Read more [More...]

Guest blog (Tom Daxon): Putting tax expenditures on the right TRACC

From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post submissions we receive from Oklahomans who have interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. This entry is from Tom Daxon, an Oklahoma City CPA who served… Read more [More...]

Ambidextrous revenue report: One the one hand…on the other hand…

The latest state revenue collections announced today provided mixed news: State revenue collections in February exceeded the official estimate for the first time since December 2008, but fell short of prior year collections for the same month, State Treasurer Scott… Read more [More...]

Hurry up and wait: Even with federal approval, Oklahoma coverage expansions left on hold

According to the latest U.S. Census figures, 565,000 Oklahomans, or 15.8 percent of the total population, were without health insurance in 2007-2008. The uninsured rate is just under 10 percent for children but over 20 percent for adults ages 18-64.… Read more [More...]

Help us do our work – Contribute to our blog

If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’ve got opinions and points of view on some of the major policy issues confronting Oklahoma. What impact is the economic downturn and fiscal crisis having on the organizations you’re involved in and… Read more [More...]

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