Statement: Revenues bill is a good start and lawmakers can do more

Oklahoma Policy Institute released a statement on the House passage of HB 1010xx to fund a teacher raise and other serious public needs: The revenues approved in HB1010xx are a great start to keeping our best teachers in the classroom… Read more [More...]

Bill Watch: Next week in #okleg

This week we’re launching a new weekly update to our blog that previews some of the bills we’re watching in the Oklahoma Legislature over the next week. Throughout the week, we’ll continuing sharing advocacy alerts with ways that you can… Read more [More...]

State Funding Crisis and the Teacher Walkout: Resources & Information

Oklahoma teachers and school districts all over the state have shut down schools since April 2nd to advocate for better funding of education and other core state services. This page compiles resources to help you understand the context for Oklahoma’s… Read more [More...]

Surviving measures to reform SQ 640 are a choice between bad and worse

For a brief moment, it looked as though there might be one silver lining to the ongoing state budget crisis. Over the past two years, a majority of legislators have voted repeatedly for tax increases needed to avert budget cuts… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma has many good options to resolve the teacher walkout

The Oklahoma Education Association last week called on the Legislature to support an ambitious proposal to increase funding for public education and state services. The association, which represents nearly 40,000 teachers and school employees across the state, warned that “If… Read more [More...]

Despite all the complaining about SQ 640, legislators avoid votes to reform it (Capitol Update)

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. This past week was important in determining what legislators will be able to accomplish this session. It… Read more [More...]

Budget Trends and Outlook — March 2018

Download a printable pdf of this fact sheet. Oklahoma’s budget shortfalls continue despite revenue improvements. Lawmakers met in two special session in 2017-18 looking for ways to fill a $215 million hole budget hole that resulted from the Supreme Court… Read more [More...]

Everything you should know about Oklahoma’s special sessions

Governor Mary Fallin called two special sessions of the Legislature in 2017-18.  The first was aimed at filling a $215 million hole to the budgets of three health agencies – the Department of Mental Health and Substance Services, Department of… Read more [More...]

Life after Step Up?

Earlier this month, HB 1033xx, the main revenue measure based on proposals from the Step Up Oklahoma coalition, failed to gain the three-quarters support in the House needed to pass a revenue bill. Unlike a similar measure that failed in… Read more [More...]

Capital gains deduction is an expensive loophole benefiting a small number of Oklahomans (Guest post: Cynthia Rogers, Ph.D)

Cynthia Rogers, PhD, is a professor of economics at the University of Oklahoma and a commissioner on the State of Oklahoma’s Incentive Evaluation Commission. The Capital Gains Tax Deduction allows Oklahoma taxpayers to avoid paying taxes on income from the… Read more [More...]