Tag: Oklahoma

Upcoming Event: Fall Forum for child advocates

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

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

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

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...]

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

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...]

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

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?

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...]

John Thompson: The real value of early childhood education

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. A large body of social science has demonstrated the long-term… Read more [More...]

State seeing some job growth, but still a long ways to go

This week, OK Policy put out the latest edition of Numbers You Need, our monthly bulletin of key economic and budget indicators for the state. Our main headline was of an economic recovery stuck in neutral. While there are certain… Read more [More...]

New program for uninsured individuals with pre-existing conditions now accepting applications

A key provision of the health care reform law passed in March creates new insurance options for individuals with pre-existing health conditions. The new program, known as the Oklahoma Temporary High Risk Pool, began accepting applications this week. Click here… Read more [More...]