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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: ‘Doing less with less’ hurts us all: In government circles, few phrases are as popular — or as misleading — as “do more with less.” It sounds efficient, even admirable. But in practice, it has too often meant something far more damaging: doing less with less. The result is mounting costs and unmet needs that ultimately affect every Oklahoma business, community, and family. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
The HB 1200 tax proposal would be a terrible legacy for this session (Capitol Update): As legislators draft the state budget and conclude the session, they will confront the issue of what to do with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s proposal for an income tax cut and the eventual elimination of the state income tax. House Bill 1200 contains an income tax cut – not for this year but for next year – and an ill-advised “trigger” mechanism to eventually eliminate the state income tax. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Weekly What’s That
A joint resolution is a resolution passed by both houses of the legislature which, if signed by the Governor, has the force and effect of law. Some Oklahoma case law suggests that joint resolutions may only be used for temporary laws and not for permanent laws. Joint resolutions which are not signed by the Governor are also used to propose amendments to the Oklahoma Constitution or to ratify amendments to the United States Constitution [Adapted from Oklahoma State Senate Legislative Terms]. Most joint resolutions are intended either to initiate legislative referenda or to disapprove administrative rules.
Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.
Quote of the Week
“This isn’t about letting people off the hook; instead, it’s about removing financial traps that serve no real purpose and make it harder for people to reintegrate into society. It’s a win for families, for public safety and for Oklahoma taxpayers.”
-Rep. Tammy West (Oklahoma City), speaking about the bill she authored, House Bill 1460, that would eliminate some fees assessed to people who have been convicted of a crime. The bill’s goal is to build a smarter and more sustainable justice system that prioritizes rehabilitation over endless punishment. [The Frontier]
Editorial of the Week
Opinion: Bill to reduce court fines can offer employment stability
Throughout my career, I have witnessed how heavy fines and fees imposed on individuals involved in the criminal justice system can create significant financial barriers to their long-term stability. That’s why I’m sincerely glad to see an initiative to reduce fines and fees assigned to criminal defendants moving through the legislature with overwhelming support.
Recently, House Bill 1460 passed the House of Representatives, 95-0. The bill stands to dramatically reduce the financial burden on defendants and thereby break cycles of recidivism or struggles to maintain employment for low-income individuals. If passed, those charged or convicted of certain crimes would be relieved of tens of thousands in fees, which opens up a path to stability for people who want to continue working, supporting their families, and create meaningful change in their lives.
The bill targets seven different fines and fees related to supervision, monitoring, DUI, and drug-related fees. While the relief to defendants is significant, what is more important is the long-term change this bill could usher in. Oklahoma’s court system, compared to others across the nation, is among the most heavily reliant on extracting revenue from people in the justice system. Upwards of 80% of Oklahoma District Courts’ funding is generated from fines and fees.
As a result, we have created a cycle that criminalizes poverty and perpetuates incarceration. According to a fiscal analysis our current model puts up to $10.7 million in financial burden on individual defendants across Oklahoma. A functioning justice system is a crucial piece of our democracy, so it is our collective responsibility, not a cost we pass along to some of our community’s most vulnerable.
[Read the full op-ed from Melissa Walton in The Journal Record]
Numbers of the Day
- 73% – Percentage of Oklahoma’s federal funding in Fiscal Year 2024 that went to medical and health initiatives. Most of the state’s federal funding (68.4%) supports Medicaid, which provides medical coverage for eligible low-income residents. Other public health initiatives beyond Medicaid represent 4.6% of the state’s federal funding. [Pew Research]
- 9.9% – Nearly 1 in 10 Oklahoma seniors (9.9%) are food insecure, meaning they lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse social and health outcomes and is increasingly considered a critical public health issue. [Feeding America]
- 6,185 – Number of youth referrals to Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs in 2023. This number has been rising in recent years and appear to be returning to pre-pandemic levels. [OK Policy analysis of OJA data]
- 3x – Black youth were nearly three times as likely to be referred to youth justice system involvement as white youth, and almost seven times as likely to be placed under OJA custody in 2023. [OK Policy analysis of Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs]
What We’re Reading
- Trump’s gutting of public health institutions is setting the stage for our next crisis: Gutting these institutions leaves our national public health in a far more precarious position. When our ability to enforce public health regulations is limited, both within and outside the workplace, workers and their families are at greater risk of exposure to dangerous working conditions, products, and pollution. New obstacles to administering key health care services will mean that fewer low-income families, children, will get the services they need. The result will be a population that is less healthy and less productive. [Economic Policy Institute]
- 2025 Budget Stakes: Working Families Could Lose Vital Health, Food, and Other Assistance: Proposals that Congress could enact this year, including through fast-track “reconciliation” legislation, would take away health coverage and food assistance from working families and individuals, significantly raising their costs for buying groceries and seeing a doctor. This is in addition to those who aren’t employed and could lose vital health and food assistance, including when they are in between jobs, have a disability or health condition, or are caring for a sick family member. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
- Trump Delivers Massive Blow to Youth Justice Programs: Youth justice providers across the country have been working to prevent gun violence, protect runaways and eliminate rape behind bars. They were notified via email last week that the Trump administration was terminating roughly $170 million in grants that support their work from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and other federal agencies. The notice applied to grants already made, affecting programs and initiatives currently underway. Recipients were instructed to cease work immediately. [The Imprint]
- Racial disparities in youth incarceration are the widest they’ve been in decades: Studies show children of color are treated more harshly in the justice system than their white peers, and federal data released last month suggests that disparity is widening — especially for Black and American Indian children. [NPR]
