Among her proposals to address the state’s enormous budget hole in last month’s State of the State address, Governor Mary Fallin called for “sales tax modernization.” Modernization could have several components, including broadening the sales tax to cover more services…
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Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. You can sign up on his website to receive the Capitol Updates newsletter by email.…
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By:
Gene Perry
March 7, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
With the oil and gas industry in freefall and a state budget hole that has grown to $1.3 billion, Oklahoma lawmakers’ best budget scenario this year is to find the least bad among many terrible options. While the federal government…
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Download this fact sheet as a pdf.
The state faces a huge budget shortfall
As a result of revenue collections coming in below projections, mid-year revenue failures were declared in December and February. Agencies were cut by 7 percent of…
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As Oklahoma grapples with a rapid decline in state revenue collections, agency budgets have already been cut once this year, and a second round of even greater cuts has just been announced. Oklahoma’s Rainy Day Fund was designed specifically to…
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In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved State Question 712, which established legal compacts between the state of Oklahoma and Native American tribes to regulate tribal gaming. Under the gaming compacts, tribes contribute over $125 million to the state, which goes almost…
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By:
David Blatt
February 23, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Should Oklahoma strip Medicaid health care coverage from people least able to afford insurance on their own? In a state that trails most of the nation in uninsured rates and health outcomes, who could defend this?
Should the Department of…
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By:
Steve Lewis
February 19, 2016 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. You can sign up on his website to receive the Capitol Updates newsletter by email.…
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By:
David Blatt
February 18, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Giving Oklahoma’s teachers a pay raise has been proclaimed as one of the highest priorities of legislators and Governor Mary Fallin this session. Despite a $1.3 billion budget shortfall and the near certainty of cuts to all state agencies, including…
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Millions of low- and moderate-income working families in the United States benefit from a couple of key tax credits that are among the most important ways that we keep people out of poverty and support children’s development. But to receive…
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