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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
New from OK Policy
More than 100 interim studies slated for Oklahoma House in 2024 (Capitol Update): Last week, Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall approved and assigned to committees more than 100 interim study requests by House members to be held before the next legislative session. Once again, the requests reflect the breadth of interests and issues addressed – or sometimes not addressed – by members of the legislature. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma undocumented immigrants paid $227.5 million in taxes, report finds: Undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma contributed $227.5 million in state and local taxes in 2022, according to a recently released report by a nonprofit, nonpartisan tax policy organization. About $122 million were sales and excise taxes, while $49 million were in property taxes, according to the report. Another $51 million were personal or business income taxes, the report said. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Study shows undocumented immigrants pay $227.5 million of state, local taxes [KOSU]
- From OK Policy: Undocumented immigrants contribute $227M in Oklahoma taxes a year
AG seeks contempt citation for state board’s continued defiance over religious charter school: Attorney General Gentner Drummond now wants the Oklahoma State Supreme Court to tell members of a state governing board they are risking up to 6 months in jail and a $500 fine by not complying with a June 25 court order. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma charter school board spurns high court order to cancel religious charter school contract [Oklahoma Voice]
- Board Could Face Contempt Charges for Ignoring Supreme Court Order [Oklahoma Watch]
- Statewide Charter School board pursues St. Isidore appeal, bucks attorney general [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma charter school board to appeal St. Isidore decision to U.S. Supreme Court [Public Radio Tulsa]
State Government News
State Education Department paid legal firm more than $38K in May, public records show: Public records show the Oklahoma State Department of Education, led by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, paid more than $38,000 to an Oklahoma City legal firm in May for the firm’s work, as the agency dealt with the sudden depletion of its entire in-house team of attorneys. [The Oklahoman]
Teachers, parents plan protest at Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting: With the beginning of the school year for several Oklahoma districts only weeks away, teachers across the state are confused by a new mandate involving the use of Bibles in the classroom. Educators and parents who are against the new mandate are expected to protest at Wednesday’s state board of education meeting. [News 9]
- State leaders clash over access to Oklahoma Board of Education’s executive sessions [KOCO]
- Another Oklahoma lawmaker plans to attend State Board of Education’s executive session [Fox 25]
Oklahoma official accused of groping man responds to calls that he resign: Longtime Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony called on fellow Commissioner Todd Hiett to resign on Tuesday following a report that Hiett drunkenly groped a man in a hotel bar recently while attending a conference in Minnesota. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett refuses to resign [The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
EPA, Army plan to check Oklahoma wells near military facilities for forever chemicals: The EPA announced a pilot program in nine locations across the country, and two are in Oklahoma. Federal officials will sample private water wells around Fort Sill in Lawton and the Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester. They’re checking for PFAS, also known as forever chemicals because of their long lifespans in the environment. [KOSU]
Long Story Short: Oklahoma Western District Court Among the Slowest in the Country (audio): Paul Monies talks about mental health and jail diversion grants to counties after the criminal justice reforms passed by voters in 2016. Jessica Pearce reported on the upcoming sunset of Oklahoma’s Counselor Corps grant program. Jake Ramsey covered the excessive backlog that three federal judges in the Western District Court had and how it affected Oklahomans. [Oklahoma Watch]
Tribal Nations News
Report reveals dark truths about federal Indian boarding schools in Oklahoma: Three years after the launch of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report, more details emerge about burial sites, deaths and federal dollars allocated to sustain these institutions. [KGOU]
- DOI Releases Final Report on the Traumatic Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools [Native News Online]
- Apologize! Report calls for US government to own up to abusive boarding school history [ICT]
- U.S. should apologize for Native boarding schools where hundreds died, officials say [The Oklahoman]
- More than 900 Native American children died at U.S. boarding schools [Washington Post]
Opinion: Historic Five Tribe Agreement Strengthens Sovereignty and Conservation Efforts in Oklahoma: For centuries, Cherokee Nation and neighboring tribes have maintained a profound connection to the land and its resources. Now, the historic Five Tribe Wildlife Management Reciprocity Agreement, unveiled recently at the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes, marks a pivotal moment for the Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Muscogee Nation, and soon for Seminole Nation as we mutually recognize one another’s hunting and fishing rights and licenses. [Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. / Native News Online]
Voting and Election News
Oklahomans deserve debates for legislative runoffs: All told, 10 Republican runoff elections are set for Tuesday, Aug. 27, covering communities like Broken Arrow, north OKC/Edmond, Yukon, Norman, Moore, Duncan, Newcastle and the entirety of Lincoln County. In an effort to improve Oklahoma’s historically atrocious runoff election engagement, I have been calling legislative candidates, civic groups and other media to propose public debates or forums for top legislative races. [NonDoc]
- NOTE:The deadline to register to vote in the August 27 election is Friday, August 2. [OK Voter Portal]
Criminal Justice News
This company promised to improve health care in jails. Dozens of its patients have died.: As local jails have morphed into some of the largest mental health treatment facilities in the U.S., many counties have outsourced medical care to private companies that promise to contain rising costs. Turn Key is one of the fastest growing in the middle of the country. [The Frontier]
State juvenile agency joins Georgetown program amid crisis at Tulsa’s facility: The agency charged with enforcing standards at Tulsa’s Family Center for Juvenile Justice (FCJJ) is now in an educational program at a prestigious university. Oklahoma’s Office for Juvenile Affairs (OJA) is enrolled in Georgetown’s Youth in Custody Certificate Program. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Judge asked to ban surprise health inspections at Oklahoma County jail: The trust overseeing the Oklahoma County jail is asking a judge to permanently block state health inspectors from conducting surprise inspections. The request for a ban is the latest twist in the dispute between the jail trust and health officials. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma lawmaker plans interim study to uncover the truth about conditions inside state prisons: Despite chairing a House committee which oversees the prison system in Oklahoma, Representative Justin Humphrey says he simply can’t get any answers from the Department of Corrections about what he says are the worst staffing levels in the United States. [KRMG]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Report: rent is unaffordable for minimum wage earners in all Oklahoma counties: Minimum wage will not cover the cost of rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Oklahoma. According to new data released by national nonprofit National Low Income Housing Coalition, a minimum wage worker has to work an average of 88 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom rental apartment in the state. [KOSU]
- From OK Policy: A job isn’t enough to afford housing for many Oklahomans
Grading Oklahoma: Is Oklahoma’s minimum wage enough to live on? How wages compares to the rest of the US: A group advocating to increase Oklahoma’s minimum wage recently turned in an initiative petition with more than double the amount of needed signatures, meaning voters may soon be seeing a state question on minimum wage. How does Oklahoma’s minimum wage and cost of living compare to other states? [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: SQ 832: Minimum Wage Increase Information and Resources | What you need to know about the minimum wage in Oklahoma
When will the OKC housing market, so long driven by sellers, return to balance? Soon?: Listings were up 8% from May to June in the area covered by MLSOK Inc., which includes OKC and suburbs, as well as small towns and rural areas. Even with hundreds more listings by homeowners willing to sell, inventory hasn’t swollen enough to give buyers clear negotiating power. It is still a sellers’ market. [The Oklahoman]
Education News
Tulsa district to enforce cellphone policy this school year: Tulsa Public Schools will be enforcing its existing cellphone policy across all sites and grades during the coming school year rather than updating it, according to a copy of a presentation district officials are slated to give at Wednesday’s Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting. [Tulsa World]
Community News
Ryan Walters mocked the French in a weird Tweet. It didn’t go well.: Never one to miss an opportunity for attention, Ryan Walters jumped on the bandwagon of condemning the French after the Olympics opening ceremony. In a Tweet sent in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, Walters ripped the French for the ‘woke’ display of art. [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Opinion: Not everything is about Christianity or America [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- OKC City Council dips toes into Israel-Hamas war [NonDoc]
- What $231 million in Edmond GO bonds could cost, fund [NonDoc]
- Maureen Heffernan who transformed Myriad Gardens, opened Scissortail Park, set to say goodbye [The Oklahoman]
- Mayor Bynum rescinds disciplinary action against Tulsa police chief finalist, multiple sources say [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“Native American history is American history, and everyone must know this history. It is history that has shaped our nation and that, for too long, has been swept under the rug, all while Indigenous communities grapple with the undeniable fallout of intergenerational trauma.”
– U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna) regarding the latest findings from the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report. The final part of the report released this week revealed bitter findings about the experiences of Indigenous children at federal Indian boarding schools. [KGOU]
Number of the Day
8.9%
The effective tax rate of undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma, compared to the wealthiest 1% of Oklahomans who have an effective tax rate of 6.4%. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy]
Policy Note
How We Keep Failing Foster Kids: They need meaningful, continuing relationships to carry them into adulthood. But the child welfare system isn’t set up to provide that. [Governing]
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