Articles
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Law & Principles
Justice Thomas echoes OCPA brief in Supreme Court opinion
In a case involving minors who identify as transgender, Justice Clarence Thomas this week brilliantly rejected the notion that unelected experts should dictate constitutional interpretation or override legislative judgment.Ryan Haynie | June 20, 2025
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Culture & the Family
Beyond the silo: Why conservatives must reunite cultural integrity and economic freedom
For too long, conservatives have treated cultural and economic issues as separate arenas—but they are inseparably linked. OCPA’s Matt Oberdick takes a look at some policy wins from Oklahoma’s 2025 legislative session.Matt Oberdick | June 20, 2025
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Education, Economy
Free markets require free minds—and that starts with reading
The free market depends on informed choices. But if kids can’t read, they can’t choose wisely. Illiteracy is more than an education issue—it’s an economic one.Curtis Shelton | June 20, 2025
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Culture & the Family
Sweden taught me the value of work—without a minimum wage
In Sweden, I worked for 20 cents a paper—and I’m grateful. Early jobs teach more than just how to work—they teach how to grow. Don’t take that chance away with one-size-fits-all laws.Tucker Cross | June 19, 2025
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Education, Higher Education
OCPA urges regents to end discredited training for teachers
OCPA President Jonathan Small called on Oklahoma’s college regents to end the use or promotion of teacher-training programs that rely on the discredited “three-cueing” method, which teaches children to guess words based on associated pictures rather than sound them out phonetically.Staff | June 19, 2025
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Law & Principles
U.S. Supreme Court upholds ban on child sex-change surgeries
In a decision with repercussions for Oklahoma, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a Tennessee law prohibiting medical officials from performing sex-change surgeries on minors who identify as transgender.Ray Carter | June 18, 2025
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Education, Higher Education
After outcry, OSU stops promoting discredited reading program
Oklahoma lawmakers have banned the use of the discredited “three-cueing” method of reading instruction in public schools. Yet OSU continues to tout a program that uses it.Ray Carter | June 18, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma teacher union hails private-school vouchers … for teachers’ kids
A new voucher-style benefit applies exclusively to teachers’ children, even those from high-income households. House Bill 1727 expands the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program to include high-income teacher families while maintaining strict income caps for all other Oklahomans.Ray Carter | June 18, 2025
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Law & Principles
Does Oklahoma need a cosmetology board?
Oklahoma should scrap its burdensome licensing requirements for cosmetologists, a barrier that limits opportunity without guaranteeing better outcomes. Market alternatives like customer reviews, voluntary certification, and inspections can protect public safety.Ryan Haynie | June 17, 2025
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Law & Principles
Keep an Oklahoma win in Congress’s One Big, Beautiful Bill: Closing the tobacco double-drawback loophole
A little-known trade loophole called “double drawback” allows foreign tobacco companies to avoid U.S. excise taxes, giving them an unfair cost advantage over domestic firms like Oklahoma-based Xcaliber LLC. Repealing this loophole would level the playing field, protect Oklahoma jobs, and restore fairness to federal tax and trade policy.Jonathan Small | June 17, 2025