As the 2022 legislative session approaches, Oklahoma Policy Institute's State Budget Summit will be a must for anyone looking to be better informed and more actively engaged on state budget issues.

Now in its eighth year, OK Policy’s State Budget Summit provides an opportunity to hear from state and local officials, tribal leaders, community leaders, and engaged citizens about the state's current fiscal circumstances, what we might expect during this year's legislative session, and where we can improve our state's budget and tax system.

We're excited to announce this year's keynote speaker is Angie Cooper, the executive director of Heartland Summit and Chief Program Officer for Heartland Forward, and she leads Heartland Summit and Heartland Forward's programming efforts. The Heartland Summit is the flagship convening of Heartland Forward, a Bentonville, Arkansas-based "think and do" tank focused on advancing economic performance and opportunity in the center of the country. As Chief Program Officer, Angie is focused on turning Heartland Forward's research into action, creating new partnerships, leading on policy solutions, and serving as a resource for Heartland communities. For more than 16 years, Angie worked in international and domestic public policy and government affairs for Walmart Stores, Inc., most recently as Senior Director of Global Public Policy. She is originally from Oklahoma and is a graduate of Oklahoma State University.

During the State Budget Summit, we also will be discussing our soon-to-be-published report on making the state's budget process more transparent and more responsive to the needs of everyday Oklahomans. This forthcoming report will be a companion piece to A Better Path Forward, our comprehensive analysis of the state's budget and tax system along with proposed solutions to stablize revenue while better supporting shared public services.

The 2022 State Budget Summit will feature:
-A fiscal overview from OK Policy Health Care and Revenue Policy Analyst Emma Morris
-A panel discussion, scheduled to include:
Senator Julia Kirt, D- OKC;
Representative Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow;
Representative Danny Williams, R-Seminole;
Joe B. Hill, Executive Officer of Governmental Affairs and Partnerships, Chickasaw Nation;
Paul Shinn, former Tax and Budget Senior Policy Analyst for OK Policy.

Moderated by OK Policy Board Member Jeff Berrong of Weatherford - Keynote presentation from Angie Cooper, Executive Director of Heartland Summit and Chief Program Officer of Heartland Forward.

Registration will be open through the event start time. For more detailed information and speaker bios, visit okpolicy.org/state-budget-summit