Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma has improved its framework, but are Native women actually safer? | Hard work alone won’t fix broken systems | Lawmakers fund rural prosecutor recruitment, leave defense behind

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, MAY 10, 2026 Subscribe // View latest headlines Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day: Oklahoma has improved its framework, but are Native women actually safer?   Over the last five years, Oklahoma has taken more steps to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis than it had in decades before. Tribal Nations, Indigenous women, and Native advocates pushed this issue into public view. They refused to be ignored, prompting greater awareness and systems to address violence against Native women. The question now is not whether the topic is getting more attention. The question is whether that attention has yet made Indigenous women meaningfully safer. Data limitations leave us without a clear answer, making it difficult to know whether recent policy changes are actually improving safety or where further action is needed. [Taylor Broadbent / OK Policy] Lawmakers fund rural prosecutor recruitment, leave defense behind (Capitol Update)   Legislators’ favorable view of the state’s district attorneys is evident in the passage of a couple of measures requested by the District Attorney’s Council (DAC) to attempt to address the shortage of attorneys willing to serve as assistant district attorneys (ADAs) in sparsely populated rural areas of the state. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update] Policy Matters: Hard work alone won’t fix broken systems   You’ve likely heard the saying: “Work hard enough and you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” The phrase sounds tough and hopeful, but it doesn’t reflect the reality for many Oklahomans. The truth is, not everyone starts from the same place. And many of our friends and neighbors never had boots to begin with. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record] Apply Now for the 2026 Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute   OK Policy’s Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute (SPI) brings together highly-qualified college students, recent graduates, and new policy professionals for a three-day learning experience that informs participants about Oklahoma’s policy landscape and provides tools and resources to create change in our state. Apply by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, May 10, 2026. Learn More & Apply Know someone who would be a good fit for SPI? Please send them the link above. Oklahoma property tax growth cap heads to voters, raising concerns for schools, services: Oklahoma voters could soon decide whether to slow the pace of rising property tax valuations, a change supporters say would help homeowners keep up with climbing home values but critics warn could squeeze funding for schools and other local services over time. [KTUL]   What to Know About State Question 832 and Gradually Raising Oklahoma’s Minimum Wage to $15 per Hour: A long-overdue raise for low-income workers struggling to make ends meet? Or a burdensome mandate on small businesses that will lead to reduced hours for workers and higher consumer prices? [Oklahoma Watch] From OK Policy: SQ 832: Minimum Wage Increase | Information and Resources — Hard work should pay enough to live (Policy Matters) "If someone in our state works full-time, they shouldn’t be in poverty. That’s not a strong economy. That’s a broken one."   - Shiloh Kantz, executive director of OK Policy, speaking at a forum on SQ 832. The state question would gradually raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by the end of the decade, followed by automatic cost-of-living adjustments. Oklahoma voters will decide SQ 832 on the June 16 ballot. [Oklahoma Watch] Sine Die   Sine die is a term for the adjournment of an assembly for an indefinite period, from the Latin “without day”.   In March 1989, Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved State Question 620, a voter-initiated constitutional amendment providing that regular legislative sessions begin on the first Monday in February and must adjourn sine die not later than 5:00 pm on the last Friday in May. Special sessions are also adjourned sine die but there is no set date for their adjournment.   [Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here] Opinion: I’m a small business owner. I support higher minimum wage   I’m a proud small business owner. I’ve been wiring houses, barns and businesses in and around Oklahoma for more than 20 years. I manage budgets, sign the paychecks and bid for the jobs. I know what things cost, and yeah, everything is more expensive these days.   I’m voting Yes on State Question 832 on June 16 to raise the minimum wage. I’m writing this because I want to talk about what the folks fighting raising the minimum wage are telling you, and why it’s wrong.   You might have heard their pitch. It’s to be expected from big dark money groups that would rather keep paying poverty wages to Oklahoma families than see a win for workers. Too much is at stake with this election, so it’s important to set the record straight.    [Rex Dorse / The Oklahoman] 277% - From 1979 to 2022, incomes for the top 1% surged by 277% — rising from $784,573 to nearly $3 million — while households in the middle saw just 26% growth, increasing from $76,359 to $96,335. [Economic Policy Institute]   84.3% - The percentage of Native women who experience violence at some point in their lives. Of those cases, 97% are committed by someone of a different race. [National Institute of Justice]   $3,569 - The monthly budget required for a single adult with no children to meet basic needs in Custer County, which works out to just over $22 per hour. Even in a rural county where costs are often assumed to be lower, basic necessities still far outpace the minimum wage. Adding additional adults or children to the household significantly increases those costs, highlighting the growing gap between wages and the actual cost of living — and the importance of raising the minimum wage. [Economic Policy Institute] See what it actually costs to get by in your community +4% - The increase in the share of immigrants who said they avoided applying for government assistance programs over the past year for fear of drawing attention to their or a family member’s immigration status, rising from 8% in 2023 to 12% in 2025. Another 11% said they stopped participating in those programs altogether for immigration-related reasons. [KFF]   $3.3 million - In 2025, Oklahoma passed HB 1460, which eliminated several criminal justice fees that saddled Oklahomans with debts they were unable to pay, including an electronic monitoring fee, a nonrefundable application fee for defendants requesting legal representation by the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, and more. This reform prevents at least $3.3 million in court-related costs from being imposed on defendants each year, helping reduce financial barriers that can keep families trapped in cycles of debt and instability. [Fines and Fees Justice Center] Rising inequality is the root of affordability problems: Income inequality has skyrocketed since 1979 because of intentional policy choices that suppressed wages for typical families to accelerate income growth at the top. Middle-class household incomes would be roughly $30,000 higher today if their incomes had simply kept pace with average income growth since 1979. Recognizing that today’s affordability problems are overwhelmingly inequality problems is the key to constructing the right policy solutions. [Economic Policy Institute]   Blame the System, not the Victim: Understanding the Lack of Advocacy for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Violence against Indigenous women and girls is widespread, yet public advocacy remains limited, particularly among non-Indigenous populations. This gap is linked to the lack of recognition and visibility of Native communities in mainstream understanding, which contributes to minimizing racism and shifting blame onto victims rather than systemic factors. These attitudes reduce empathy and make it easier to disengage from the crisis. As a result, the limited response reflects broader societal patterns that obscure harm and weaken accountability for violence against Indigenous communities. [Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin]   Minimum wage: State solutions to the U.S. worker rights crisis: Minimum wage protections in the United States have weakened over time as the federal minimum wage has remained unchanged since 2009, steadily eroding its purchasing power and leaving many workers unable to afford basic living expenses. In response, states should take the lead in protecting workers by raising minimum wages, eliminating subminimum wages for tipped and disabled workers, strengthening enforcement mechanisms, and expanding coverage to workers historically excluded from federal protections. At the same time, weakened federal enforcement and proposed rollbacks to labor standards threaten to increase wage theft and leave more workers without meaningful safeguards. Ultimately, the minimum wage debate reflects a broader worker rights crisis in which labor standards have failed to keep pace with rising living costs and the realities of low-wage work. [Economic Policy Institute]   KFF/New York Times 2025 Survey of Immigrants: Health and Health Care Experiences During the Second Trump Administration: Actions taken by the Trump administration and Congress will likely have major impacts on health and health care for immigrant families. As of June 2025, there were 51.9 million immigrants residing in the U.S. representing diverse backgrounds and experiences. In addition, about one in four children in the U.S. has at least one immigrant parent, and the vast majority of these children are U.S. citizens. President Trump’s increased immigration enforcement activity has contributed to resounding levels of fear and uncertainty among the immigrant community, which can negatively affect the health and well-being of immigrant families and make them more reluctant to access health coverage as well as health care. Moreover, the 2025 tax and spending law and other recent policy changes will further limit access to health coverage and services for many lawfully present immigrants who already face eligibility restrictions for federally funded coverage options, amid broader projected coverage reductions and anticipated increases in health care costs. [KFF] From OK Policy: Federal law already excluded most immigrants from accessing public benefits The Cost We No Longer Pay: How Fine and Fee Reform Delivered Billions in Relief for Families: Our criminal justice system is rife with fines and fees that state and local governments impose in order to generate revenue. Individuals and families saddled with fines and fees face severe consequences if they cannot afford to pay them, including additional financial penalties, driver’s license suspensions, arrest, and jail. People living paycheck-to-paycheck and communities of color are disproportionately impacted, but anyone who misses just one payment can be trapped in an endless cycle of debt and punishment. When these fine and fee policies are reformed or eliminated, the ensuing financial relief helps stabilize families, address racial wealth disparities, and increase opportunities. [Fines and Fees Justice Center] 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.