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Join our team as a paid fall intern!

Note: The application period for Fall 2019 internships has closed. Visit our Jobs & Internship page for updates. OK Policy is now accepting applications for paid, part-time internships in our Tulsa office during the Fall 2019 semester! We are a… Read more [More...]

Track Oklahoma’s prison population with Open Justice Oklahoma’s new dashboard

The Oklahoma DOC Tracker, a tool released today by Open Justice Oklahoma, aims to bridge the gap in information by providing convenient access to the most current data about our state's incarceration crisis and allowing comparisons to other states and to benchmarks like the national average. [More...]

Preview of an attack on Oklahoma’s judicial nominating process (Capitol Update)

I heard Professor Andrew Spiropoulos of the OCU Law School speak last week about the need to restructure the way we select our supreme court justices in Oklahoma. In 2005-2006 Spiropoulos was Senior Counselor to Oklahoma House Speaker Todd Hiett. Hiett was elected Speaker after the Republicans gained control of the House in 2004. Spiropoulos is also associated with the Heritage Foundation and the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. His ideas are worth noting because they will likely influence what will become known as "court reform" when the next legislative session rolls around. [More...]

The Weekly Wonk: New OK Policy leader; interim studies; how to improve child well-being; & 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 The Know. [More...]

OK Policy selects Ahniwake Rose as new Executive Director

Oklahoma Policy Institute announced today that Ahniwake Rose, an Oklahoma native who is currently serving as Deputy Director and interim Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., has been chosen to lead the organization as its next Executive Director. She will replace longtime director David Blatt, who earlier this year announced his intention to step down this fall. [More...]

House lawmakers request a wide range of interim studies (Capitol Update)

This could be an active interim if House interim study requests are any indication. The deadline for representatives to request studies was last Friday, June 21. Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, will announce the approved studies and related committee assignments no later than July 19. House members have requested 145 studies on a variety of topics. In the past the Speaker has combined requests that appeared to be on the same or compatible topics and approved them as a single study. It is within the Speaker's discretion which studies to authorize and, with 145 requests, it's doubtful they will all be approved. [More...]

The Weekly Wonk: How Oklahoma ranks for child well-being; progress on child care; crumbling OKDHS oversight; & 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. [More...]

Federal funding increases are making quality child care more affordable for Oklahoma families

A new report from Oklahoma Policy Institute finds that new federal grant funding is making affordable child care a reality for more Oklahomans. [More...]

Joe Allbaugh resigned, but his critique of Oklahoma’s justice system remains true (Capitol Update)

Surprisingly, Joe Allbaugh resigned abruptly as Department of Corrections (DOC) director last week. Judging from the comments he made I'd say, put simply, that he was "fed up." Allbaugh took on the task of restoring and improving DOC about 3 1/2 years ago when the previous director got into hot water after a botched administration of the death penalty. The job appears to have been a battle every day. [More...]

New KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks Oklahoma in bottom 10 states for child well-being

How Oklahoma Ranks Oklahoma ranks in the bottom 10 states in the nation for child well-being, according to the 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. With an overall ranking of 42nd out of all 50 states,… Read more [More...]

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