Topic: Economic Opportunity

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...]

New KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks Oklahoma near the worst in the nation for child well-being

By: Gene Perry
June 27, 2018 // Updated: December 11, 2020
A new report shows the youngest generation of Oklahomans face far-reaching challenges. The state ranks near the bottom in the nation for most measures of child well-being, according to the 2018 KIDS COUNT® Data Book released today by the Annie… Read more [More...]

Bipartisan Senate farm bill is a better way forward for families that struggle with food insecurity

By: Courtney Cullison
June 21, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last month, we shared our concerns about the farm bill proposal being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill proposes deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) that could put 97,000… Read more [More...]

Denying immigrants access to the safety net would have terrible consequences for us all

By: Courtney Cullison
June 5, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Most Americans agree that it’s important to have a social safety net.  Bad luck and hard times can hit any of us, and when that happens there should be something there to keep us from falling into destitution while we… Read more [More...]

Progress is being made, but there’s still a long way to go in reforming occupational licensing in Oklahoma

By: Courtney Cullison
May 31, 2018 // Updated: March 21, 2019
We’ve been talking a lot about occupational licensing lately and that’s because it’s a big deal for economic opportunity. Requiring a state license to practice certain occupations began with good intentions –  to protect the public from the harm that… Read more [More...]

Tulsa has better options than punitive responses to truancy and homelessness

By: Lydia Lapidus
May 16, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This post is by OK Policy intern Lydia Lapidus. Lydia is a recent graduate from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs with a concentration in International Politics. In recent weeks, the Tulsa City Council has considered ordinances that… Read more [More...]

Bill Watch: This year in #okleg

By: Carly Putnam
May 10, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last week, the Oklahoma legislature adjourned one of the more extraordinary legislative sessions in recent memory – one that followed one special session, ran partially concurrently with another, included nine days of protests at the Capitol, saw the Legislature raise… Read more [More...]