Topic: Economic Opportunity

No family should be punished for accepting help when they need it

By: Courtney Cullison
November 19, 2018 // Updated: August 21, 2019
UPDATE (8/12/19): This week the Trump Administration is expected to submit a final rule on public charge that is set to take effect in 60 days. The Department of Homeland Security noted that, “While some commenters provided support for the… Read more [More...]

OKPolicyCast 41: Fair Wages and Overtime for State Workers (with Sterling Zearley)

By: Gene Perry
November 13, 2018 // Updated: January 19, 2019
Gene_Perry_and_Sterling_Zearley The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover,… Read more [More...]

More work needed to count all Oklahoma kids in the 2020 Census

By: Gene Perry
November 8, 2018 // Updated: November 19, 2019
Accurate Census data is an essential bedrock for our democracy and economy. We can all pitch in to make sure all Oklahomans are counted in 2020 and beyond. [More...]

Oklahoma Poverty Profile

By: Courtney Cullison
October 31, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
[Download the 2017 Poverty Profile as a PDF Fact Sheet] 621,076 Oklahomans had incomes below the poverty level in 2017. That’s 15.8 percent of Oklahoma’s population, or about 1 out of every 6 Oklahomans. The poverty rate in Oklahoma continues… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma missing opportunities to give young adult parents and their kids a boost

By: Gene Perry
September 25, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The first years of adulthood are a crucial time in anyone’s life. Many Oklahomans ages 18 to 24 are taking their first steps toward independence, whether they’re in college or just entering the workforce. These are also key years for… Read more [More...]

Will this generation make better priorities to protect the next generation? (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 24, 2018 // 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. I attended an interim study this week requested by Sen. Greg McCortney (R-Ada) and Sen. Kay Floyd… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma poverty numbers are part of a larger picture (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 18, 2018 // 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. There’s an interesting, unsettling piece in a recent update by Oklahoma Policy Institute’s Courtney Cullison. It reviews… Read more [More...]

New Census data shows that Oklahoma fell further behind the U.S. on poverty and uninsured rate for second consecutive year

By: Courtney Cullison
September 13, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Oklahoma lags behind the nation in our efforts to help families get ahead. New data from the Census Bureau shows that poverty in Oklahoma is still above the national average. In 2017, nearly 1 in 6 Oklahomans (15.8 percent) were living… Read more [More...]

Citizen Petition: Oklahoma’s best chance to raise the minimum wage

By: Deon Osborne
September 12, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Deon Osborne is a fall intern with the Oklahoma Policy Institute. He recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Media from the University of Oklahoma. Workers shouldn’t have to struggle to survive on the minimum wage. Since the founding… Read more [More...]

SNAP error rates went up last year, but it wasn’t due to fraud

By: Courtney Cullison
August 8, 2018 // Updated: December 11, 2020
For many years, anti-hunger advocates have pointed to the low error rates of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as evidence of its efficiency and effectiveness. And that is true – SNAP does have a very low rate of improper… Read more [More...]