Budget plan brings more bad news for Oklahoma seniors, children, & people with disabilities

Earlier this month, we warned that important protections for seniors, children, and Oklahomans with disabilities were crumbling because the Department of Human Services had already made “the easy cuts” and was now forced to make cuts that directly hurt our… Read more [More...]

Proposed federal legislation could yank free school meals from 51,000 Oklahoma students

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act allows high-poverty schools to provide breakfast and lunch to all students. Access to free, healthy meals helps low-income children and families by improving child nutrition and behavior,… Read more [More...]

New bill would devastate a key tax credit for Oklahoma working families

Yesterday, a letter signed by more than 150 Oklahoma clergy was delivered to lawmakers and Governor Fallin, urging them not to slash key tax credits for working families to fix the state’s revenue problems. They were joined by numerous non-profit… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma women can’t afford wage discrimination. This bill aims to help. (Guest post: Alexandra Bohannon)

Alexandra Bohannon is an OK Policy Research Fellow. She is currently a second-year student in the Master of Public Administration program with a concentration in public policy at the University of Oklahoma. Alexandra works as a Graduate Research Assistant for… Read more [More...]

New video and tools to save tax credits for working families

[youtube id=”sN__TaZClHo” mode=”normal”] Today more than 140 religious leaders and over two dozen non-profit organizations and foundations are speaking out against state budget plans that threaten tax credits for hundreds of thousands of working families and seniors. Clergy from across… Read more [More...]

Protections for vulnerable seniors, children, and Oklahomans with disabilities are crumbling around us

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) made waves in April when Director Ed Lake sent a letter to employees and providers warning that DHS is facing “cuts we simply cannot make without significant consequences for the people who depend… Read more [More...]

This program helps hungry kids and saves administrative costs, but participation lags in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is among the worst in the nation for uptake of a program that ensures low-income students have access to school meals, according to a new report. By not adopting this program, schools are passing up an effective way to… Read more [More...]

Four-day school weeks could leave thousands of Oklahoma kids hungry

One of the most visible consequences of the state’s budget crisis is the increasing number of school districts that are considering or have already gone to a four-day school week. More than 100 districts are considering making the switch, according… Read more [More...]

Yes, non-profits can (and should) lobby

If you want to know about the stock market, you ask a broker. If you want to know what that weird noise is when you turn on your car, you ask a mechanic. If you want to know how public… Read more [More...]

Private charity is no replacement for the public safety net (Guest post: Chris Moore)

Chris Moore is the senior minister at Fellowship Congregational United Church of Christ in Tulsa. Chris serves on the boards of JustHope, a non-profit that works to combat extreme poverty, and the Tulsa Sponsoring Committee, a community organizing effort. Having… Read more [More...]