The State Policy Network (SPN) is an umbrella group of right-wing think tanks across the country.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) is the State Policy Net works cookie-cutter think tank for Oklahoma. While OCPA claims to be focused on issues important to Oklahomans, they actually push an agenda dictated by its national right-wing funders and partners.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs is a longtime supporter and member of the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). At ALEC, corporate lobbyists and state lawmakers go behind closed doors to create laws, with no input from the public, that end up helping the corporations bottom line. OCPA is a member of ALECs Education Task Force, which pushes for the privatization of public schools, public funding of private schools, and laws that would destroy the collective bargaining rights of public school teachers.

OCPAs 2011 report on taxes was criticized by three academics in the state for using faulty research methods. Jonathan Willner of Oklahoma City University, Ken Olson of Oklahoma State University, and Cynthia Rogers of the University of Oklahoma all criticized the report for lacking credible evidence and not using professional standards in normal economic studies, with Olson saying OCPAs study was intentionally designed to give the results OCPA wanted.

As seen on primary documents from ALECs 2013 convention in Chicago, OCPA was a Trustee level sponsor of the conference, which meant a $5,000 contribution

While the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs donors are secret due to their status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the identities of OCPAs few known donors shine a light on the real mission of the organization. OCPA has received over $2.3 million since 1999 from the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, which has interests in the big oil industry. OCPA has also received significant funding from the Roe Foundation, a right-wing foundation that funds many other SPN think tanks and other right-wing organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, ALEC, the Cato Institute, and the Heartland Institute. Finally, OCPA has received $730,617 from the Koch-funded Donors Capital Fund. This secretive group has been called the dark money ATM of the conservative movement by Mother Jones. Included in Donors contributions to OCPA was a 2011 grant of $25,000 to participate in ALEC.

Block access to affordable healthcare for Oklahoman families Restrict workers rights Destroy public pensions Defund and privatizing Oklahomas public schools Protect corporations from liability when their products harm or kill a consumer

Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker at OCPAs 2010 Liberty Gala

Paul Ryan spoke at OCPAs 2010 Citizenship Dinner

Jeb Bush was the featured speaker at the 2011 OCPA Citizenship Awards Dinner

Not surprisingly, this also happens to be the agenda of ALEC and other SPN think tanks.
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, accessed 8/26/2013