Targeted relief can help Oklahoma families weather inflation

By gavelling in for a special legislative session to address inflation relief, lawmakers have the opportunity to enact real and positive tax reform. The slate of bills introduced by House leadership offer little actual timely relief to the low- and… Read more [More...]

A county-by-county look at how increasing Oklahoma’s Sales Tax Relief Credit benefits families, seniors

Oklahoma lawmakers this session are considering a measure (House Bill 3353) that would strengthen the value of Oklahoma’s Sales Tax Relief Credit — commonly known as the “grocery tax credit” — to provide meaningful, targeted relief to the Oklahomans who most need it.  [More...]

Increasing economic security in Oklahoma can strengthen families, assist in child abuse prevention (Child Abuse Prevention Month)

When it comes to providing meaningful solutions to stopping child maltreatment, Oklahoma should focus on addressing poverty, which is intrinsically linked with child maltreatment, particularly neglect. If Oklahoma leaders really want to make children a priority in this state, then improving economic stability for their families is the first step.  [More...]

Oklahoma should work towards true housing equity

Legislative gaps in Oklahoma harm tenants, particularly households of color. The Oklahoma Residential Landlord Tenant Act (ORLTA), first adopted in 1978, needs to be updated to create equity. [More...]

HB 1933 attacks an indispensable support to our workforce

The legislature should reject HB 1933 and any other bills that would inhibit the ability of the unemployment insurance program to provide the support our workers and our economy need. [More...]

Personal income tax cuts won’t deliver relief to low- and middle-class Oklahomans

Cuts to the individual income tax rate are unfair to low- and middle-class families since they return the largest benefit to the wealthiest Oklahomans. Tax cuts now can devastate state revenue and funding for services like public education in future years. [More...]

Broadband bill presents opportunity for Oklahoma (Guest Post Dr. Brian Whitacre)

A new bill (House Bill 3363) would help Oklahoma ensure that federal relief funding to improve connectivity would go where it’s needed most.  [More...]

Legislators have an opportunity to make a down payment on the state’s future

Oklahoma is in a unique position this year to make a downpayment on the future of our state. Premature tax cuts will set the state up to fail; investments will allow us to thrive.  [More...]

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in services to vulnerable communities, particularly immigrants

Immigrants have had to bear the pandemic without much federal aid due to complicated rules around eligibility for public benefit programs, limited access to health care, economic limitations, and a variety of other factors. At the state level, Oklahoma did comparatively little to support immigrants as well. [More...]

Smart investments are the key to an equitable economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession

While macroeconomic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (the size of an economy) and the unemployment rate (the percentage of people who want work but can’t find it) are useful for measuring the overall health of an economy, they conceal inequalities and long-standing structural challenges that hurt many Oklahomans' ability to provide for themselves and participate in our economy.  [More...]