What Oklahoma House members want to study this interim (Capitol Update)
The deadline for House of Representatives members to request interim studies was last Friday, and the House has now published those requests. In the House, studies must be approved by the Speaker, which is expected to happen before July 24th. Studies are usually assigned to a relevant standing committee and held in August, September, or October. Their length is determined by the committee chair, but they typically last two to four hours. In rare cases, a study may last all day or span multiple days. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
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Policy Matters: We the People means all of us
Every Fourth of July, Americans celebrate a bold idea: each of us should have a voice in decisions that shape our lives. As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary of independence, we must remember our founders didn’t reject government itself. They rejected a system with no voice, no representation, and no way to hold leaders accountable. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
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OK Policy & Together OK are bringing the voices of your community to the Capitol.
This summer, we’re hosting listening sessions in towns and cities across the state to provide an opportunity for the public to have conversations with our fellow Oklahomans about issues that matter most in their communities. By hearing directly from residents, we can better advocate for state policies that reflect your priorities.
Sessions are free and open to the public, and participants will be compensated for their time (in-person events only). [Learn More]
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"This is in fact a nation of immigrants, and that is a core part of the American story. Certainly we’re all mindful of the fact that we’re about to celebrate America’s 250th birthday this week, and I hope we can all reflect on that part of our story."
- State Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, discussing the recent Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship is the constitutional principle that nearly anyone born in the United States automatically becomes a U.S. citizen, regardless of their parents’ immigration status, making it a foundational part of how the United States has defined citizenship for more than 150 years. [The Oklahoman]
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Use Tax
The use tax is a complementary tax to the state sales tax that is applied to items bought outside a state (or not taxed inside) but used, stored, or consumed in the state. Oklahoma taxes items subject to the use tax at the same rate as the sales tax.
For several decades, states were limited in their ability to collect use taxes by a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Quill v. North Dakota, that determined that retailers lacking a physical presence in a state, or “nexus,” could not be required to collect and remit taxes. The growth of online commerce led to significant revenue losses for states and local governments and various efforts to circumvent the Quill decision. In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Quill precedent in South Dakota vs. Wayfair, Inc. In a 5-4 decision, it upheld a South Dakota law that required retailers to collect and remit tax on purchases even if the seller does not have a physical presence in the state, ruling that an economic presence should be the basis for taxing a sale. Oklahoma amended its laws to conform to the Wayfair decision: as of November 2019, a remote seller with $100,000 or more in taxable retail sales of tangible personal property during the preceding 12 calendar months is required to collect and remit Oklahoma sales tax.
Oklahoma collected $638.5 million in state use tax revenues in FY 2024, which represented a 38.4 percent increase from the $461.3 million collected in FY 2021 and nearly triple the $203.2 million in use tax revenue collected in FY 2016.
[Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here]
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Opinion: America at 250: It’s Time for a Tax Code That Lives Up to Our Ideals
The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States is a moment to celebrate the ideals that gave birth to this country. But the anniversary also presents an opportunity to ask a difficult question: What does it mean to honor a nation founded on equality when its tax code continues to reinforce inequality?
Tax laws are often viewed as a technical collection of rates, deductions, and credits. In reality, they are one of the most powerful tools through which the nation decides who gets economic opportunity. The tax code deserves closer scrutiny — not simply as a mechanism for raising revenue, but as a tool that has helped drive racial wealth disparities for generations.
The path to a more equitable tax code is neither radical nor unprecedented.
Congress could narrow the gap between tax rates on investment income and wages, as was done during President Reagan’s administration, so that wealth is not systematically taxed at lower rates than work. Lawmakers could revisit inherited wealth provisions — like the stepped-up basis rule — that allow large estates to pass between generations largely untouched. And policymakers could establish a renter credit that extends the tax code’s wealth-building benefits to the disproportionate share of Black households who rent rather than own.
These are not sweeping redistributions. They are corrections and modest steps toward a tax code that stops compounding the inequities of the past.
After 250 years, our leaders must show a commitment to completing the unfinished work of American democracy. The American tax code has spent its history widening the racial wealth gap, not closing it. But what was built can be rebuilt — and today, we the people must demand it.
[Brakeyshia Samms / Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy]
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37% - More than 1 in 3 households (37%) in Oklahoma City are renting their homes. [OKC Point in Time Report]
–13% - The Oklahoma Health Care Authority requested $1.9 billion from the state legislature for Fiscal Year 2027, which begins on July 1, 2026. Lawmakers appropriated $1.66 billion, which is 13% less than what the agency requested. [Oklahoma House of Representatives Budget Portal]
53.1% - More than half of Oklahoma youth who experienced a major depressive episode did not receive any mental health treatment. That ranks Oklahoma 36th in the nation, highlighting ongoing gaps in access to care and the need to ensure every young person can get the mental health support they need when they need it. [Mental Health America]
153,000 - The number of Oklahomans born in the U.S. who live with at least one immigrant parent. Birthright citizenship ensures that children born here are recognized as full members of the country they call home. [American Immigration Council]
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2025 National Renter Survey: Nearly half (49%) of all renter households are costburdened and more than a quarter (26%) are severely costburdened. The affordability problem is most acute for renters with the lowest incomes. The lack of affordable rents is not the only problem threatening the housing stability of low-income renters. Other threats, while known, are not as well documented at a national scale. Legal aid attorneys and advocates are increasingly sounding the alarm about additional fees beyond rent and utilities that landlords require of prospective and current tenants, putting housing affordability even further out of reach. [National Low Income Housing Coalition]
New Federal Medicaid Policies Compound State Budget Pressures: Medicaid—the health care provider for roughly 1 in 5 Americans and the largest single source of federal funding for state governments—is entering a period of major change that could reshape state budgets for years to come. State policymakers must now manage the budgetary and operational impacts of some of the most sweeping revisions in Medicaid’s 60-year history—changes enacted through H.R. 1, the federal budget reconciliation law passed last July—while also contending with substantial and growing underlying cost pressures. [Pew Charitable Trusts]
2025 State Legislation Issue Brief Series: Trends in Access to Mental Health Care State Policy: There continues to be a mental health crisis in the U.S., yet too many people still face barriers to getting care. In 2025, states continued working to address growing challenges in accessing mental health services. With federal funding cuts looming, prioritizing mental health and investing in innovative solutions will be critical to ensuring people can get the care they need. Expanding access to treatment and services as early as possible can reduce crises and ultimately save lives. [National Alliance on Mental Illness]
Birthright Citizenship: Policy Brief: Birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment and has been consistently upheld by the courts for more than 125 years, including by the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark. The policy grants U.S. citizenship to nearly everyone born on American soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. In 2025, President Trump issued an executive order attempting to deny citizenship to some children born in the United States, but courts repeatedly blocked the policy, and in June 2026 the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional. Supporters argue that birthright citizenship strengthens the nation’s economy, promotes civic participation and social integration, and ensures equal treatment under the law, while ending the policy could create millions of undocumented residents, impose significant administrative burdens, and reduce future economic growth. [FWD.us]
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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 The Know.
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Contact
Oklahoma Policy Institute
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Tulsa, OK 74120
United States
918-794-3944 | info@okpolicy.org
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