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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know.
This Week from OK Policy
Policy Matters: Our history still has something to teach us: It’s been said that history doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes. You don’t have to listen closely to hear familiar meters from the 1940s and today. In times of fear, our nation has been known to sacrifice its ideals for a sense of safety. Oklahoma is connected to one of those moments — and that should give us pause. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
OIDS budget request signals new focus on diversion and rural defense (Capitol Update): Last week, the Senate Appropriations Public Safety and Judiciary Subcommittee — chaired by Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville — held budget hearings from several agencies, including the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System (OIDS). Executive Director Debbie Maddox, on the job for less than a year, presented the agency’s FY 2027 budget request that included a new look for OIDS. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Weekly What’s That
A bill that passes out of one chamber is engrossed, and then sent to the other chamber. If the bill passes the second chamber but not in its final form (e.g. it has been amended or has had its title or enacting clause stricken), it will again be engrossed. A bill that passes both chambers in its final form is enrolled.
To find the engrossed version of a bill, go to the Legislature’s website, click on Legislation, select Basic Bill Search, enter the bill number (make sure to select the correct session and include HB for a House Bill or SB for a Senate Bill), and choose the “Versions” tab.
Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.
Quote of the Week
“What we see is that cuts continue the bleeding here in the state of Oklahoma. And ultimately, when that bleeding reaches a certain point, we wind up tax shifting again, where we will, for instance, remove additional exemptions on things that predominantly hurt poor people.”
-Rep. Andy Fugate of Oklahoma City, speaking about the continued push for flat state budgets in the face of rising needs for vital public programs and services. [KOSU]
Editorial of the Week
Editorial: Our prisons are terrible. We need a big, bold plan
To have one of the nation’s worst correctional systems is a big problem, one that state leadership is just nibbling at around the edges, unwilling or unable to make the commitment to move in a big way to solve.
A 2021 U.S. Justice Department report on mortality in prisons found Oklahoma had the second-highest average annual rate of homicides in the nation, not counting executions. In 2024, the state recorded 24 homicides, up from 12 in 2023.
Even if leadership were to emerge with the vision to craft a sensible year-by-year plan to bring our correctional system to the head of the pack, would the funding be available to see it through to the end? Not without a revival in the shaky economy. And not as long as the governor and others are seeking more tax cuts.
Numbers of the Week
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$1.6 billion – In just the past six years, Oklahoma lawmakers have approved tax cuts and tax credits for private schools that cost the state close to $1.6 billion in revenue each year (in 2026 dollars). [OK Policy]
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$3.9 billion – In 2024, property taxes in Oklahoma brought in $3.9 billion for local governments and made up at least half of the budget in 62 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. [OK Policy]
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47th – Oklahoma had the 47th highest cost for home insurance in 2025, with an average annual premium of $4,623. Oklahomans spend about 7.4% of their income towards homeowners insurance. [Bankrate]
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72% – The share of Oklahoma adults who experienced at least one healthcare affordability burden in the past year, according to a fall 2025 survey of more than 1,300 residents. The findings show that rising healthcare costs are affecting a clear majority of households across the state. [Healthcare Value Hub]
What We’re Reading
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What Did 2025 State Tax Changes Mean for Racial and Economic Equity?: For years, many states have cut taxes for the wealthy, who are disproportionately white. Those cuts create a regressive tax system that is less fair and makes it harder to fund important programs for lower-income and working families. These kinds of tax cut decisions worsen economic and racial inequities, and the trend continued in several states in 2025. Lawmakers in Oklahoma and Mississippi passed legislation to eventually eliminate the states’ personal income taxes through triggered tax-cutting approaches over a number of years, paving the way for fiscal instability and lower-quality public services. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy]
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Policymakers Unwisely Propose Cutting Property Taxes in Favor of Sales Taxes: Lawmakers across the country are taking aim at property taxes with a new strategy: raising sales taxes instead. Doing so would create a regressive tax shift that puts unfair burdens on renters and reduces the strength of local government revenues. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy]
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Rising Insurance Costs and the Impact on Housing Affordability (2024): Nationally, property insurance rates have been on the rise for 26 consecutive quarters, starting in the last quarter of 2017. From 2017 to 2022, homeowners insurance premiums rose 40% faster than inflation. Recent estimates for the national average cost of homeowners insurance premiums range from about $1,750 to about $2,500 annually, though average rates vary widely by region. In fact, in some states, homeowners pay as much as $500 per month for insurance. For millions of households already struggling to make their mortgage payments, these monthly insurance costs are a significant burden. They can also put homeownership out of reach for prospective first-time homebuyers. [Bipartisan Policy Center]
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People Who Rely on the ACA Marketplaces Face Mounting Affordability Challenges: People purchasing coverage through the ACA Marketplaces are facing rising costs and shrinking affordability as enhancements to premium tax credits expire and insurers adjust prices upward. Without strong subsidies or other policy changes, many low- and moderate-income families will continue to see higher premiums and fewer affordable plan options, particularly in areas with less competition. These affordability pressures can lead some individuals and families to drop coverage entirely or delay needed care. Ensuring marketplace stability and affordability will require maintaining strong financial assistance and addressing underlying cost drivers in the health system. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
