What supporters of SQ 640 didn’t foresee (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 is the first year that SQ 640 has come into play. In 1992, SQ… Read more [More...]

Kansas experiment yields valuable lessons (Guest post: Heidi Holliday)

Heidi Holliday is Executive Director of the Kansas Center for Economic Growth. You’re welcome, America. Our state, Kansas, just wrapped up a 5-year long experiment in governance from which the other 49 states can now glean some important lessons. The… Read more [More...]

FY 2018 Budget Highlights

OK Policy’s annual Budget Highlights issue brief is one of the most informative and accessible ways to track Oklahoma’s public spending. Read more... [More...]

Next year’s budget starts over $400 million in the hole

When Governor Mary Fallin delivered her State of the State address in February, she made a strong call for lawmakers to end the practice of balancing the state budget through the use of one-time revenues, saying: Oklahoma will continue to… Read more [More...]

State budget sitting on shaky constitutional foundations (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. Wow! I admit I never saw this coming. When the legislature returned for its last… Read more [More...]

Proposed budget leaves Oklahoma services massively underfunded

Note: This post was updated May 28th to reflect current information. The General Appropriation bill passed the Legislature and is awaiting action from Gov. Fallin. After months of wrangling and stalled negotiations, legislative leaders finally introduced budget bills late Tuesday… Read more [More...]

Statement: Lawmakers should vote down budget that breaks their promises

The Save Our State Coalition, including Oklahoma Policy Institute, released the following statement in response to the budget plan unveiled by House and Senate leaders late last night: The legislative session began with promises to fix Oklahoma’s structural deficit, fund… Read more [More...]

Amid budget deadlock, a reminder of what’s at stake

At the state Capitol, lawmakers remain deadlocked over how to find enough revenue to avoid crippling budget scenarios. The main barrier appears to be legislative leadership’s refusal to allow a vote on removing huge tax breaks for oil and gas producers. On… Read more [More...]

Focus on “government spending” instead of real people is leading lawmakers astray

Right now most Oklahomans are worried about how our lawmakers will fill a huge budget shortfall following years of cuts that have contributed to teachers fleeing Oklahoma classrooms, left Oklahomans with severe disabilities and children in the child welfare system at risk of losing basic… Read more [More...]

Statement: Republican budget proposal ignores popular solutions

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to Republican leaders’ new budget proposal: The proposal announced today by Republican leadership does not address the hundreds of millions Oklahoma is giving away each year to the oil and gas… Read more [More...]