Topic: Budget & Tax

Budget hearings illuminate needs of Oklahoma’s major agencies (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
January 13, 2017 // 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. To better inform more House members about the state budget, Speaker Charles McCall has made… Read more [More...]

Is Oklahoma due for a change in direction on the budget? (Capitol Updates)

By: Steve Lewis
January 6, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 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. The turning of a new year is a time when people tend to reflect on… Read more [More...]

Six takeaways from Oklahoma’s new budget estimates

By: David Blatt
January 3, 2017 // Updated: May 1, 2019
In late December, the State Equalization Board met and approved a preliminary estimate of state revenues for the upcoming budget year, FY 2018. This estimate will be the basis of Governor Fallin’s Executive Budget, to be  released on the first day… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Revenue certification brings tidings of discomfort and woe

By: David Blatt
December 21, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Oklahoma Policy Institute issued the following statement after the State Equalization Board certified $869 million less for next year’s budget than this year’s authorized budget: As we enter the holiday season, Oklahomans today learned that the state faces a budget… Read more [More...]

Medical marijuana won’t fix Oklahoma’s budget problems

By: Ryan Gentzler
December 14, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The movement to legalize marijuana is riding high. This year voters in California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada joined Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska in legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, while Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota voted to allow… Read more [More...]

Join us for the 2017 State Budget Summit

By: David Blatt
December 13, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As Oklahoma’s 2017 legislative session approaches, the combination of continued budget shortfalls at the state level and a new national Administration and Congress committed to far-reaching changes to critical programs have created an unprecedented level of uncertainty and apprehension. OK… Read more [More...]

Without new revenue, we can expect more of the same problems (Capitol Updates)

By: Steve Lewis
December 9, 2016 // Updated: May 1, 2019
the same old thinking and disappointing results 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. The way legislators are talking now, the top agenda item for next session will be… Read more [More...]

Trigger Warning: Legislature sets itself up for another ill-timed income tax cut

By: David Blatt
December 8, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This time last year, Oklahoma was in the middle of a massive budget crisis. As revenues came in below projections, the state twice made across-the-board budget cuts that hit our schools, health care, roads, and other key building blocks of our… Read more [More...]

The irresistible forces and the immovable object of the 2017 legislative session (Capitol Updates)

By: Steve Lewis
November 23, 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. It’s nearly impossible to predict what will happen in the 2017 Legislature. What happens when… Read more [More...]

Budget Trends and Outlook — November 2016

By: David Blatt
November 18, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Download this fact sheet as a pdf. The state continues to face a dire budget outlook Through the first four months of the current fiscal year, General Revenue collections have come in 1.8 percent below the estimate and 8.7 percent… Read more [More...]