Articles
-
Law & Principles
Oklahoma House panel advances measures mandating immigration verification for welfare
Two bills to bar illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded welfare benefits have cleared committee and are headed to the Oklahoma House floor. One Democrat lawmaker countered that the bills may deter illegal immigrants from seeking welfare benefits for family members.Ray Carter | February 19, 2026
-
Education
House panel advances bill requiring school districts to post share of funds going to instruction
Oklahoma schools would have to prominently disclose what share of their budgets goes to classroom instruction under House Bill 3711. The bill’s author says any district confident in its priorities should have no problem showing the public how much is actually spent on instruction.Ray Carter | February 19, 2026
-
Education
Oklahoma public school revenue surges to nearly $15,000 per student
New figures from the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System show public schools took in $9.59 billion from local, state, and federal sources in the 2024–2025 school year—nearly $15,000 per student when divided by average daily attendance. That’s a 53% jump in per-student revenue since 2018.Ray Carter | February 18, 2026
-
Economy
SQ 832 ties Oklahoma wages to NYC socialist mayor’s agenda
If approved, State Question 832 would peg Oklahoma’s minimum wage to the urban-center cost-of-living index. This would effectively allow leaders in high-cost cities, such as Zohran Mamdani, to indirectly dictate Oklahoma’s wage law.Ray Carter | February 17, 2026
-
Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Oklahoma’s ‘path to zero’ income tax survives first test in legislature
A proposal to repeal Oklahoma’s “path to zero” income-tax law—an automatic trigger that reduces rates whenever state revenues surge—failed in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee on a 2–9 party-line vote.Ray Carter | February 16, 2026
-
Education
Third-grade reading reform moves ahead
Oklahoma lawmakers have advanced HB 4420, a sweeping literacy bill that revives mandatory retention and early intervention requirements similar to Mississippi’s nationally acclaimed model.Ray Carter | February 16, 2026
-
Education
Amid record school revenues, Oklahoma teacher hiring lags administrative growth
A new analysis from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab shows that despite more than $3 billion in additional funding since the 2018 teacher walkout, Oklahoma schools have added relatively few teachers while rapidly expanding non-teaching staff.Ray Carter | February 16, 2026
-
Education
Oklahoma’s short school year draws scrutiny as academic scores lag
Oklahoma students receive far less classroom time than their peers nationwide, and lawmakers say that deficit helps explain why state academic outcomes rank among the worst in the country despite billions in new funding.Ray Carter | February 16, 2026
-
Law & Principles
‘Top two’ turnout claim falls flat in OKC election
Supporters of State Question 836, which would replace Oklahoma’s party-primary system with a California-style “top two” model, have argued the change will increase voter turnout and say Oklahoma City’s nonpartisan mayoral elections offer a proof of concept. But Tuesday’s results tell a different story.Ray Carter | February 12, 2026
-
Health Care
Hilbert bill blocking Medicaid for illegals clears first hurdle
Lawmakers have advanced legislation that would bar illegal immigrants from accessing Medicaid benefits by requiring the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to verify every applicant’s legal status through the federal SAVE system before approving coverage.Ray Carter | February 11, 2026