Weekly Wonk: ‘Broadening the Tax Base’ is code for an unfair tax system | Three new bills target rising home insurance costs in Oklahoma | There’s little comfort in saying ‘We told you so’

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.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2026 Subscribe // View latest headlines 'Broadening the Tax Base' is code for an unfair tax system (Commentary)   Broadening Oklahoma's tax base sounds like common sense. But in real life, "broadening the base" is more of a slogan than an actual goal. In states like Oklahoma that are set to eliminate their income taxes, lawmakers often use sales tax broadening to accommodate these revenue cuts. Most lawmakers overwhelmingly support cuts to income taxes first, promising to broaden the sales tax base later to make up the difference — a step that almost never happens. [Aanahita Irani Ervin / OK Policy] Three new bills target rising home insurance costs in Oklahoma (Capitol Update)   Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt (Oklahoma City) has introduced three consumer-focused insurance reform bills aimed at responding to the recent significant increases in property insurance rates across Oklahoma. SB 1435 prohibits insurance companies from using credit scores to set insurance rates for property owners. SB 1438 and SB 1444 are intended to address the causes of high property insurance rates. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update] How do credit scores affect homeowners insurance in your county? Policy Matters: There's little comfort in saying 'We told you so'   In Oklahoma, it's hard to ignore that advocates warned for decades that cutting state revenue through poorly planned tax cuts – without replacing lost revenue – would lead to exactly this moment. Agencies are identifying growing unmet needs, and business leaders are decrying the state's bottom 10 ranking in education, health care, and workforce development. State lawmakers are now wrestling with how to adequately fund health care, mental health, childcare, infrastructure, and other basic services during difficult budget times. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record] Just for fun...   This Valentine's Day, OK Policy is bringing you policy-themed valentines that mix heart with advocacy. Share the love, spark a conversation, and help us highlight the work still ahead for Oklahoma. View this post on Instagram or Facebook.  View this post on Instagram or Facebook Oklahoma to pilot national foster care initiative, Gov. Stitt announces: Advocates for children and teens in foster care gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday as Gov. Kevin Stitt announced that he had signed Oklahoma on as the first state to embrace a new national initiative, A Home for Every Child, designed to strengthen the foster care system. [Tulsa World] Learn how advocacy actually works — and how YOU fit into it   Most people care about what's happening at the Capitol. Far fewer know how to actually influence it. We'll break down how advocacy really works — who to contact, when it matters most, and how everyday people have changed decisions simply by showing up consistently. You'll learn practical skills like making effective calls, writing letters, meeting with lawmakers, and telling your story in a way that lands. View all upcoming Advocacy Training dates, locations, and registration details. THIS WEEK: Tulsa & Altus Find an advocacy training in YOUR community Join advocates and community activists from all across the state on March 3 for our 2026 Day of Action, hosted by OK Policy and Together Oklahoma.   Our Day of Action provides you with an opportunity to engage with legislators and get the information, tools, and resources you need to advocate for the changes that you would like to see in your community. Register Now Regressive Tax   A regressive tax is a type of tax that takes a larger percentage of income from low-income individuals or households than from high-income individuals or households. In other words, as income decreases, the proportion of income paid in taxes increases. This is in contrast to a progressive tax, where the tax rate increases as income increases.   Regressive taxes tend to have a disproportionate impact on lower-income individuals because they impose a higher burden on their limited financial resources. Examples of regressive taxes include sales taxes and flat taxes, where everyone pays the same percentage of their income regardless of their income level.   The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in 2024 ranked Oklahoma's tax system as the nation's 16th most regressive as part of the 7th edition of its Who Pays? report. Oklahoma's high state and local sales tax rates – sixth highest in the nation at an average of 9.05 percent –  is the main contributor to the overall regressivity of the state's tax system.   Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here. "As folks are presenting a zero-based property tax or huge cuts in property taxes, that's going to undermine public safety. It's going to undermine our local schools. It's a primary driver and a very reliable driver of local development. I'm deeply concerned that now there's going to be a compromise that's going to include that."   —Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt (Oklahoma City) speaking about the community ramifications of eliminating property taxes. [The Journal Record]  Blog: Low-wage workers faced worsening affordability in 2025 as wage growth stalled   Real wages declined 0.3% for low-wage workers in 2025, a stark departure from the unusually strong wage gains they had experienced over the previous five years. This reversal was not inevitable—it was caused by policy decisions that weakened the labor market. Meanwhile, middle- and high-wage workers saw modest wage growth in 2025. To improve affordability, policymakers can and must raise wages.    [Elise Gould and Joe Fast / Economic Policy Institute] .0000845% - According to data from the conservative Heritage Foundation, the percentage of fraudulent votes in Arizona over the last 25 years of elections was a minuscule .0000845%. The data show nationwide no election outcome in the U.S. has ever been altered by ballot fraud. [Brookings]   $4,138 - Oklahomans with a low credit score (630) pay an average of $4,138 more for their home insurance — or more than twice the amount that people with a high credit score (820) pay. [Consumer Federation of America]   23,613 - The number of immigrants in Oklahoma with pending immigration court cases as of December 2025. About 80% of them do not have legal representation, a gap that can significantly affect case outcomes and due process. [Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse]   $1.2 billion - The estimated annual productivity losses in Oklahoma caused by child care challenges. More than one in ten Oklahomans reported cutting hours, changing jobs, or leaving the workforce entirely due to unaffordable or unavailable child care. [Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce]   $3,500 - The maximum an individual can donate to an Oklahoma state candidate per election as of 2026. Candidates may give unlimited contributions to their own campaign. [Oklahoma Ethics Commission] "Confidential" Agreements Show Trump Administration's Plans for States' Voter Data: Since May, the Trump administration has been on a quest to collect complete voter files from almost every state. Most states have refused the Justice Department's unprecedented demands for the data, which includes driver's license and partial Social Security numbers. The DOJ has asked states to agree to a "confidential memorandum of understanding" in connection with handing over their full voter files. That agreement reveals both the DOJ's plans to interfere with the states' authority to run elections and how dangerously insecure the sensitive data will be in the department's hands. It provides yet more evidence of the administration's campaign to interfere with upcoming elections. [Brennan Center for Justice]   Penalized: The Hidden Cost of Credit Score in Homeowners Insurance Premiums: Insurance companies take into account dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of factors when they price insurance. How much an insurance company charges any given homeowner for their insurance is also shaped by the qualities of their home, such as the roof's age, the construction materials, and how much it would cost to rebuild. But even two neighbors with the exact same type of house may get charged wildly different insurance premiums, since most insurance companies consider individual factors as well to price insurance. These factors include customers' marital status, occupation, and, as this issue brief shows, credit history. [Consumer Federation of America]   How the United States Immigration System Works: The U.S. immigration system is built around family reunification, employment, humanitarian protection, and diversity, but in practice it is highly complex and difficult to navigate. Strict numerical limits, country caps, and detailed eligibility rules create long backlogs and uneven access depending on a person's nationality or family situation. Many legal pathways require a sponsor, significant resources, and years of waiting, while temporary or humanitarian statuses often provide little long-term security. As a result, the system can be hard to understand and slow to respond to real-world migration and labor needs. [American Immigration Council]   Understanding the Basics of Child Care in the United States: Child care in the United States is largely provided through a mix of public subsidies, employer supports, and a predominantly private market that leaves many families facing high costs and limited options. Most families pay a significant share of their income on care, with costs often rivaling college tuition and pushing some parents — especially mothers — out of the workforce. Federal programs like Head Start and child care subsidies help, but funding limits, eligibility restrictions, and uneven quality mean many eligible children still lack stable, affordable care. Advocates argue that strengthening public investment, expanding access, and improving workforce conditions for caregivers are key to a more equitable system that supports families and economic participation. [Center for American Progress]   The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress: Campaign finance policy in federal elections centers on rules about how money can be raised and spent, what must be disclosed to the public, and how candidates, parties, PACs, and outside groups can participate. Over time, court rulings, partisan disagreements, and new political strategies have produced a complicated system that some view as inconsistent or outdated. Long-running debates weigh concerns about transparency and fairness against protections for political speech. As a result, big reforms are often discussed but hard to pass, leaving many core questions about money in politics unsettled. [Congressional Research Service] Support Our Work with a Donation 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.   Click here to subscribe to In The Know. Contact Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S. Detroit Ave #1005 Tulsa, OK 74120 United States  918-794-3944 | info@okpolicy.org   Connect with us:   If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive emails from us, please unsubscribe.