No soldier left behind? How budget cuts impact veterans

Cody Minyard is an OK Policy intern and a political science senior at the University of Oklahoma. He is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. During this legislative session, the projected deficit has reached $1.3 billion. Without solutions that… Read more [More...]

Child abuse statistics show how budget policy matters (Capitol Updates)

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.… Read more [More...]

The down low on taxing downloads

One of the recurring revenue options that Gov. Mary Fallin laid out in her FY 2017 Executive Budget involved “modernizing the sales tax.” This was presented as something of a catch-all category described as “keeping the same low rates and… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s costly lack of foresight in not funding mental health care (Guest post: Tiara Blue)

Tiara Blue is an instructor at Murray State College in Tishomingo and a contributing writer for NonDoc. Foresight. I underlined this word twice in my notes for the late Professor J. Rufus Fears’ “Ancient Rome” course. I was just a… Read more [More...]

New budget plans would go after low-income parents to fix state’s revenue problems

Oklahoma’s massive budget shortfall means that lawmakers face stark choices this year. They can choose devastating cuts to Oklahoma public schools, health care, and other essential services. Or they can shore up the state’s finances and invest in a stronger… Read more [More...]

Closing weeks of session may bring the greatest test for this generation of Oklahoma legislators (Capitol Updates)

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.… Read more [More...]

Cuts to education spending hurt more than just our children (Guest post: Christiaan Mitchell)

Christiaan Mitchell is a lawyer who holds masters degrees in philosophy and education. He lives and works in Bartlesville. A couple of weeks ago Williams announced that it was cutting approximately 100 jobs in Tulsa. This announcement was front-page news… Read more [More...]

Governor’s Budget 2.0: Cuts are not inevitable

Last week, Governor Mary Fallin took the unusual step of delivering a second budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. Her new proposal, dubbed Executive Budget 2.0, adjusts for the changed circumstances since her first budget was announced in early… Read more [More...]

A day without taxes…

In advance of tax day, we’re resharing this post by Paul Shinn, which originally ran on OK Policy’s blog in 2009. I’m not a fan of tax day. Who is? After several tortuous weeks of determining whether I have excess… Read more [More...]

New poll: Large majority of Oklahoma voters favor income tax increases to prevent funding cuts

A new poll shows that large majorities of Oklahoma voters favor stopping this year’s income tax cut and restoring a 6.65 percent top income tax rate for the wealthiest households to ease the state budget emergency. Solid majorities of both… Read more [More...]