Oklahoma Policy Institute

Eviction records shouldn’t follow someone forever. 🏠

Even dismissed cases can block people from housing. Housing policy should help people regain stability — not keep them stuck.

Learn more in the comments. 👇

#Oklahoma #OKPolicy #Housing #Rent #Eviction #FairHousing

Policy Matters: Common good Is Oklahoma’s strength | The Journal Record Shiloh Kantz of Oklahoma Policy Institute urges lawmakers to invest in programs that support health, education, and security for all Oklahomans.

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Winning teams invest to see results. 🏀

The OKC Thunder build for the future — and Oklahoma should too.
Investing in our people and communities makes our state stronger.

Read our latest Policy Matters column 👇

#OKPolicy #Oklahoma #OKLeg #OKCThunder #PolicyMatters

H.R. 1’s hidden costs: What the federal megabill really means for Oklahoma - Oklahoma Policy Institute H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill, delivers tax cuts to the wealthy while reducing federal support for Medicaid, SNAP, education, and communities across Oklahoma.

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Federal policy doesn’t stop at the Capitol — it shapes everyday life in Oklahoma.

We’ve gathered our research, explainers, and analysis on H.R. 1 into one resource page so Oklahomans can better understand what it means for our state.

Clear info. Local context. Real impacts.

#Oklahoma #HR1 #Policy

Policy Matters: Silence will never create change | The Journal Record Oklahoma lawmakers respond to public pressure, not silence. Civic engagement and personal stories influence policy decisions and create lasting change.

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If silence worked, things would already be better.

Change happens because people speak up — again and again — even when it feels like no one is listening.

Read this week’s Policy Matters.
🔗 Link in comments

#Oklahoma #OKPolicy #OKLeg #Democracy #CivicEngagement #SpeakOut

Learn more and register for free: togetherok.org/events

#OklahomaAdvocacy #OklahomaCommunity #Altus #Tahlequah #Ada #Lawton #Tulsa #Ardmore #McAlester #Oklahoma #OKLeg

Promotional graphic for Advocacy Training, hosted by OK Policy and Together OK. Text reads, "Learn how to build power in YOUR community; Register Now." with dates for McAlester Jan 22, Altus Jan 29, Tahlequah Feb 5, Ada Feb 10, Lawton Feb 12, Tulsa Feb 17, and Ardmore Feb 26.

Most decisions are made with input from just a handful of people. That’s it. Advocacy training teaches you how to be one of them — without burning out or embarrassing yourself.

So if you want to stop doom-scrolling and start doing, register today for an advocacy training in your community!

H.R. 1 could push Oklahoma’s health care system past its breaking point - Oklahoma Policy Institute Medicaid (aka SoonerCare) doesn’t just insure people — it sustains the hospitals, clinics, and health care providers that care for entire communities. In Oklahoma, billions of Medicaid dollars keep em...

Our latest analysis breaks down what’s at stake:

Red tape is not neutral.

H.R. 1 would add barriers to coverage that lead to delayed care, higher costs, and increased strain on Oklahoma hospitals — especially in rural areas.

#OKPolicy #Oklahoma #Medicaid #SoonerCare #HealthCare #OneBigBeautifulBill #HR1

SB 1381 aims to curb unnecessary pretrial detention (Capitol Update) - Oklahoma Policy Institute Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, has pre-filed Senate Bill 1381, to be known as the Pretrial Modernization Act of 2026. The bill, if passed, could help curb unnecessary detention in both county jail and Depa...

Our latest Capitol Update walks through how the bill would change Oklahoma’s current system — and why it matters. 👇

What the pretrial process could look like under SB 1381: a judge hearing within 48 hours (72 on weekends), risk-based assessments, and fewer people jailed simply for being poor.

#Oklahoma #OKPolicy #CriminalJustice #PretrialReform #OKLeg #CapitolUpdate

Policy Matters: Putting people before politics shouldn’t be controversial | The Journal Record Imagine if everyone — your neighbors, your child’s teacher, the cashier at the store — had what they needed to live with dignity: food, shelter, medical care, and good public schools.

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Since when did meeting basic needs become controversial?

Our latest Policy Matters column looks at why investing in people — housing, health care, education, food — shouldn’t be up for debate.

#Oklahoma #OKPolicy #Education #Housing #HealthCare #Community #Poverty #SocialSupport

#CapitolUpdate: Oklahoma’s teacher shortage demands real attention. Two new bills focus on recruiting educators and supporting districts that develop their own teachers.

It’s a start — and the state needs more solutions like these if we expect long-term improvement.
#oklaed #teachershortage

Fact Check: Is Walmart’s Thanksgiving meal really cheaper this year? - Oklahoma Policy Institute There's a viral claim — being echoed by national and state politicians — that Walmart's 2025 Thanksgiving meal is "cheaper than last year." But there is only a savings because Walmart changed what's i...

Full breakdown 👉

There’s a lot of talk about Thanksgiving being “cheaper this year,” but that only works if you ignore what’s actually in the basket.

We deserve transparency about costs, not headline spin.

#Thanksgiving #Oklahoma #OKPolicy

“Work requirements” won’t work for Oklahoma - Oklahoma Policy Institute Few policy ideas have proven as persistent — or misleading — as the notion that forcing people to work will lift them out of poverty. The Big Beautiful Bill, or House Resolution 1 (H.R. 1), revives th...

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Work requirements don’t boost employment — they boost bureaucracy.

People get caught in system errors, verification failures, and deadlines that working families can’t meet.

When coverage is on the line, red tape has real consequences.

#Oklahoma #Medicaid #SoonerCare #WorkRequirements

Policy Matters: Respecting Tribal sovereignty is the path to Oklahoma’s progress Recognizing Tribal sovereignty is more than honoring heritage — it is a pressing call to action.

Full column in The Journal Record ⬇️

Tribal sovereignty isn’t a racial concept — it’s a governmental one.

Oklahoma’s 39 Tribal nations are sovereign governments with legal powers that long predate statehood. 🏛️✨

Understanding that isn’t political correctness; it’s accuracy.

#TribalNations #Oklahoma #TribalSovereignty #Sovereignty

One missed paycheck shouldn’t be enough to push a family into crisis — but for thousands of Oklahomans, it is.
The shutdown made clear just how fragile our economy really is.
Read more in the latest Policy Matters column (Link in comments)

#GovernmentShutdown #Oklahoma #SNAP #SoonerCare #Medicaid

What we get wrong about homelessness and mental health (Commentary) - Oklahoma Policy Institute Too often, when conversations about homelessness come up, someone says it: "Well, they're all mentally ill." It's a comment tossed off as fact, but it reveals something deeper — not truth, but comfort...

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The biggest myth about homelessness is that it’s mostly about personal failure.

But when we focus only on individual struggles, we ignore the systems that make housing unaffordable in the first place.

#Homelessness #Oklahoma #Housing #MentalHealth

Policy Matters: Better laws in Oklahoma begin with better listening In Oklahoma, public participation in lawmaking is often treated as a special event rather than a function of democracy.

📰 Read our latest Policy Matters column:

“Seasonal democracy” isn’t cutting it. 🗓️

Public input can’t just happen once a year — Oklahomans deserve a voice in decisions all the time.

👥 Real listening = better laws = stronger trust.

#Oklahoma #OKPolicy #OKLeg #OKPolitics #Democracy #InterimStudies #CivicParticipation

Raising the minimum wage in Oklahoma is pro-growth Oklahomans working full-time jobs should be compensated enough to afford food, shelter, and basic necessities. Since the 1980s, wages have stagnated for middle-wage workers and decreased for low-wage ...

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