Topic: Economic Opportunity

New Census data shows Oklahoma fell further behind the U.S. on poverty and uninsured rate in 2016

By: Gene Perry
September 14, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
New Census data shows the percentage of families living in poverty in Oklahoma increased in 2016, even as the national poverty rate declined to its lowest point since 2008. In 2016, almost one out of six Oklahomans (16.3 percent) were making… Read more [More...]

In dispute between Republican leaders over DHS funding, here are the facts

By: Gene Perry
July 19, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
It’s been an eventful week for the Oklahoma Legislature, especially considering they are not even in session. The week began with House Speaker Charles McCall and Majority Leader Mike Sanders blasting the Oklahoma Department of Human Services for making cuts… Read more [More...]

Minimum wage isn’t what it used to be – it’s worse

By: Courtney Cullison
July 13, 2017 // Updated: June 14, 2019
The federal minimum wage was established in 1938 at 25¢ an hour (about $4.26 in today’s dollars). Since then it’s been adjusted 29 times to keep up with inflation and rising living standards. The most recent change was in 2009,… Read more [More...]

Health care is increasingly central to Oklahoma’s economy

By: Gene Perry
July 5, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
If you ask a person on the street what Oklahoma’s economy is known for, two industries likely to come to mind are oil and gas drilling and agriculture. Yet when we look at the jobs Oklahomans are working in today,… Read more [More...]

Care for seniors, people with disabilities at risk as DHS grapples with budget shortfall

By: Carly Putnam
June 20, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Most Americans (nearly 90 percent of people over at 65) want to stay in their homes as long as possible as they get older. For people with disabilities, staying in one’s home represents decades of hard-fought court battles against forced… Read more [More...]

Highs and lows of Oklahoma’s 2017 legislative session (Part 2)

By: Gene Perry
June 13, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Yesterday we shared a recap of what happened this legislative session with the state budget, taxes, and education policies. Today in part two, we’ll look at outcomes related to health care, criminal justice, and economic opportunity. We began the session… Read more [More...]

Congress is trying to strip away Americans’ protections from predatory lending

By: Courtney Cullison
June 7, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last month, Governor Fallin made the right choice when she vetoed HB 1913 – a bill that would have expanded predatory lending in Oklahoma. In her veto message, Fallin pointed out that Oklahomans frequently take out high-interest loans at a… Read more [More...]

Schools use food trucks to fight food insecurity during summer months

By: Maggie Den Harder
May 30, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Maggie Den Harder is an intern with Oklahoma Policy Institute and a Masters of Public Administration student at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. For Oklahoma families who are food-insecure, school meals can be a lifeline. Six in ten students qualify for… Read more [More...]

Common sense reforms needed to protect Oklahoma tenants

By: Preston Brasch
May 9, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Preston Brasch was an OK Policy Spring intern. He is studying law at the University of Tulsa School of Law. Oklahoma faces a significant affordable housing shortage (see e.g. the 2016 Oklahoma Housing Needs Assessment and A Housing Strategy for… Read more [More...]

Bill to expand eligibility for Oklahoma’s Promise scholarships would be a win for all Oklahomans

By: Courtney Cullison
May 8, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Oklahoma Legislature is close to passing a bill (SB 529) to make Oklahoma’s Promise scholarships available to more students. Available since 1996, these scholarships cover the cost of tuition for in-state students at an Oklahoma public college or university… Read more [More...]