Articles
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Budget & Tax
State appropriations over the last eight years
The signing of Senate Bill 1600 completed the last legislative budget of Gov. Mary Fallin’s time in office. This is a good time to look back on how state appropriations have changed over the last eight years.Curtis Shelton | May 15, 2018
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Health Care
SoonerCare enrollment skyrockets
SoonerCare is Oklahoma’s fast-growing Medicaid program. How fast? Since 2000, total annual enrollment in SoonerCare has grown from 416,785 to 1,052,826 enrollees.Curtis Shelton | May 14, 2018
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Budget & Tax
A look at tax collections
Total state tax collections are rebounding from a low point in fiscal year 2017 (July 2016 through June 2017).Curtis Shelton | May 11, 2018
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Good Government
The slippery three
Some important reforms passed this session, including enrollment audits and work requirements for Oklahoma’s expensive Medicaid program. Yet other programs proved just how slippery is the status quo when it comes to avoiding common-sense cost savings.Jonathan Small | May 11, 2018
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Good Government
Team game: Building an effective state legislature
Drawing on political science and practical experience, OCPA distinguished fellow Andrew Spiropoulos, a law professor who served as the chief policy advisor for Oklahoma’s Speaker of the House, recommends how to make the legislature an engine of good law and an effective vehicle for enacting the majority’s policy agenda.Andrew C. Spiropoulos | May 9, 2018
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Budget & Tax
More money, more problems
It’s been busy lately, so you may not have noticed that the state of Oklahoma received $71 million from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.Jonathan Small | May 4, 2018
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Good Government
Don't give health department, TSET a pass
The Oklahoma Department of Health and TSET have important missions and do some critical work. But is that enough? Does that mean they get a pass?Jonathan Small | May 3, 2018
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Education
Bill would let teachers vote on unions
In Oklahoma, many teacher unions have been around for decades without ever letting teachers vote to see if they still want that particular union to represent them. This helps explain why the interests of union executives may seem to veer away from the interests of those they claim to represent.Cody Ray Milner | May 2, 2018
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Education
Oklahoma voters agree with SB 1150
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) today released findings from a survey indicating that 66 percent of likely Oklahoma voters agree that teachers should be allowed to vote on union representation.Staff | May 2, 2018
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Budget & Tax
New revenue passed since 2015
A common narrative about Oklahoma is that tax cuts created a budget crisis—and the Legislature has done nothing to solve it. While we have questioned this story about tax cuts, it is also important to note that the Legislature, along with the governor, have also increased government revenues.Jonathan Small & Curtis Shelton | April 30, 2018