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Author Archives: Sabine Brown
Join our growing team: We’re hiring a Northeast Oklahoma Field Organizer!
Join our growing team! Oklahoma Policy Institute seeks to hire a part-time field organizer for northeast Oklahoma to support the work of our grassroots advocacy citizen coalition, Together Oklahoma (TOK).
Thank you, advocates!
The 2019 legislative session has come to a close. Thanks to last year’s revenue package and a strong economy, the state budget is in a much stronger position. Teachers got a pay raise and our schools got a small funding boost. Nearly 1,000 people serving time for simple drug possession will have a chance to […]
Ask for a yes vote on bail reform
Thousands of people now sit in our jails, sometimes for months before trial, simply because they’re unable to find the money to buy their freedom from a bail bond agent. This session legislators have a chance to correct that. SB 252, authored by Sen. Roger Thompson and Rep. Chris Kannady, will help end pretrial detention […]
Include a boost for families in the budget
The 2019 Legislative session is coming to a close and budget negotiations are in full swing. As lawmakers work on the budget for next year, they have a chance include a boost for working families by restoring the full-value of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Write a letter to your legislators here. Take Action […]
Bail reform is being voted on tomorrow
Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and express your support for SB 252. This bill is on their agenda for tomorrow, April 2nd.
We need legislators to do the right thing for working families
The Earned income Tax Credit (EITC) is a highly effective anti-poverty tool that boosts works and keeps families out of poverty. Write to your legislators and ask them to restore this tax credit this session by going to oksays.com.
Help end disparities in Oklahoma’s criminal justice system
Oklahoma has the highest incarceration rate in the nation. This crisis impacts some communities more than others. Contact your state representative today and ask them to support HB 1855 (by Rep. Brian Hill). This bill would require community impact statements for criminal justice legislation. A community impact statement reveals a proposed bill’s impact on underserved communities and makes sure legislation wouldn’t unfairly impact marginalized populations.
Help expand opportunities for Oklahomans to work
One mistake shouldn’t derail someone’s opportunity to support themselves and their family. Please contact your state representative and ask them to vote yes to HB 1373 (Rep. Zack Taylor) and HB 2134 (Rep. Cyndi Munson). These bills would prohibit blanket bans of individuals with a criminal history — only crimes that are violent or sexual in nature or that relate directly to the duties of the particular job or occupation could automatically disqualify an individual from a license. Find your state representative here.
Action needed to expand health care coverage
SB 605, a bill which would expand access to health coverage, passed out of committee last week on a unanimous, bipartisan vote and has now been assigned to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. Unfortunately, it has not been brought up for a vote and is not on the agenda to be heard. The deadline for bills to make it out of committee is this Thursday.
