As usual, Oklahoma’s legislative session ended with a flurry of fiscal and budget bills in the last two weeks of the session. The legislature has one constitutional requirement every year: pass a balanced budget. In doing so, the legislature decides…
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By:
Steve Lewis
June 16, 2025 // Updated: June 16, 2025
A new law passed this session will establish stringent new reporting requirements for any employee, contractor, volunteer, or third party “working in or around” (1) a state-run juvenile facility, (2) a private contractor or group home under the supervision of…
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By:
Cole Allen
June 15, 2025 // Updated: June 15, 2025
This year, legislators advanced a number of bills that will improve the criminal justice system in Oklahoma, and largely managed to avoid undoing previous work. Going into the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers should continue to prioritize building upon progress rather than tearing down policies that work.
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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…
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The federal government's use of tear gas and National Guard troops against protestors in Los Angeles should sound an alarm for residents in every state — including places like Oklahoma that are far from a border. These tactics may start in Los Angeles, but history tells us they won't stay there.
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By:
Steve Lewis
June 10, 2025 // Updated: June 10, 2025
One of the more positive results of the leveraging between policy and budget issues at the end of the legislative session was the passage of SB 1168, which deals with the perplexing issue of sovereign immunity
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By:
Dave Hamby
June 9, 2025 // Updated: June 9, 2025
New report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds Oklahoma remained among the worst states for child well-being, reflecting the failure of state leaders to invest in a better future for our children.
• 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book
•…
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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…
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Oklahoma’s housing crisis is worsening. During the 2025 legislative session, state lawmakers had multiple opportunities to reduce evictions, update the Landlord-Tenant Act, and increase Oklahoma’s supply of housing stock. They punted on nearly all of them: Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed…
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In government, just like in nature, everything rolls downhill. And when budget cuts start cascading downwards, it’s not the mountaintop that feels the hit – it’s the town in the valley.
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