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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
Making 2025 a year of bold action for our children (Policy Matters): As we welcome the new year, it’s time to set our sights on building a brighter future for Oklahoma—a future where every child, every family, and every community has the opportunity to thrive. The challenges before us are clear. OK Policy’s 2024 KIDS COUNT data highlight areas where we’re falling behind, with some indicators placing us dangerously close to the bottom of the national rankings. One in 5 Oklahoma children lives in poverty, and 200,000 children are growing up in households that don’t always know where their next meal will come from. [Shiloh Kantz / OK Policy]
State Government News
Governor’s office pushes back on reporting of high school graduation requirement change idea: Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office is pushing back on comments it says were taken out of context from an Oklahoma City news station story about changes to high school graduation requirements. [KGOU]
- Stitt criticized for suggesting military among high school graduation requirements [Tulsa World]
School supplies proposed to be among tax-free weekend items: Shoppers could save a little more during the state’s annual sales tax holiday weekend if a bill filed by an Edmond lawmaker wins support at the Capitol. [Tulsa World]
Proposed Oklahoma laws would limit cannabis purchases, ban ‘tube men’ advertising: Newly proposed legislation would place a limit on the amount of medical marijuana that can be purchased from an Oklahoma dispensary. The bill is one of several filed in advance of the legislative session that begins in February. Lawmakers have until Jan. 16 to file new bills. [The Oklahoman]
State Supreme Court post draws 14 applicants; vetting process now underway: Fourteen individuals − including nine district judges − have applied to be the next justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Senate, House leaders organize committees ahead of 60th legislative session: As the new year starts, so too does lawmaking. Leadership in both chambers established committees and their membership in December. They say the committees address the needs of Oklahomans early and thoroughly. [KOSU]
New Senate leader went from the farmhouse to the Oklahoma Statehouse: The Oklahoma Senate expects to take up tax cuts and judicial reform when lawmakers return to the Capitol in February, said Senate President Pro Tem-elect Lonnie Paxton. [Oklahoma Voice]
‘Bridge conversations’: Fetgatter to lead Oklahoma House tribal and external affairs: State Rep. Scott Fetgatter of Okmulgee will assume the lead in tribal and external affairs on behalf of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. In an interview with FOX 25, Rep. Fetgatter said that open lines of communication are key in establishing trust between various government entities, including tribal governments. [Fox 25]
Federal Government News
Editorial: Bringing fairness to Social Security benefits right thing to do: Public servants from police officers to teachers who pay Social Security taxes have been getting shortchanged at retirement for decades. It’s an inequity finally remedied with the recent passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Muscogee Nation tobacco tax compact extended for three months: The Muscogee Nation and Oklahoma have agreed to extend a tobacco tax compact for three months. The deal between Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will allow more time to negotiate a long-term compact. [KOSU]
- Muscogee Nation, state agree to three-month tobacco compact extension [Tulsa World]
- Muscogee Nation, State of Oklahoma Agree to Extend Tobacco Tax Compact Negotiations [Muscogee Nation]
Cherokee Nation withdraws from council of Cherokee tribes over disagreements: The Cherokee Nation is pulling out of an intertribal council with its fellow Cherokee tribes. The Tri-Council consists of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes: the Cherokee Nation, the United Keetoowah Band in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band of Cherokees in North Carolina. [KOSU]
U.S. Department of Justice accuses Northeast Oklahoma prosecutors of overstepping: Two Northeastern Oklahoma District Attorneys are being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice over tribal jurisdiction.
According to the motions filed by the DOJ, the two attorneys have improperly filed a total of seven cases involving Native American defendants on behalf of the state. [KOSU]
Community Partners Grants drive $7M impact in Cherokee Nation: A new report is highlighting the successes of the Cherokee Nation’s $7 million Community Partners Grants, which were distributed to nearly 270 applicants across the reservation between 2022 and 2024. [The Journal Record]
Voting and Election News
Public comment for the 2025 OKC GO bond will close Jan. 15. Here’s how to provide feedback: Planners with Oklahoma City are encouraging residents to attend a virtual workshop on how to provide feedback for the upcoming 2025 bond election before the public comment period closes in mid-January. The online workshop can be accessed from noon – 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. [The Oklahoman]
Education News
Oklahoma higher education receives another multi-year GEAR UP grant: What it does: The executive agency that oversees Oklahoma higher education has received a fifth consecutive multi-year federal grant, this one for $34.7 million, to administer a program designed to help more than 16,000 secondary students in 13 rural school districts prepare for and succeed in college. [The Oklahoman]
OSDE Supt. Walters could be made to answer questions after new court filing: n a filing this week, two former employees at the Oklahoma State Department of Education want a judge to get Superintendent Ryan Walters to answer their questions. [KFOR]
Meet the woman often targeted by Ryan Walters: the head of the state teachers union: Katherine Bishop was a special education teacher in Putnam City for 22 years, following in the footsteps of her mother, who taught in the same school district for more than three decades. “I’ve learned that education is my calling, my passion,” Bishop told The Oklahoman in a recent interview. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Don’t assume all these bad public school ideas will actually happen: Oklahoma public schools never seem to catch a break from the culture war, which only intensifies in the runup to the next legislative session. The talk so far has focused on Jesus, porn and immigrants. No ideas have come forth that would put more experienced teachers, staff and resources such as after-school and extracurricular activities in schools — the actual things research and common sense say work best in offering a top-notch education. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Oklahoma needs a better system for providing more teacher coaches: Behind every great teacher is a mentor, a guide and a collaborator — a role often fulfilled by instructional coaches. These professionals possess the expertise and passion to uplift educators and drive student success. Yet, in Oklahoma, instructional coaches face undefined expectations and inconsistent evaluation methods, limiting their impact. To truly honor their contributions and maximize their effectiveness, a unified, standardized and thoughtfully designed evaluation system is not just necessary — it’s overdue. [Kimberly Morgan / The Oklahoman]
Health News
What is the stomach flu going around? What to know about norovirus, symptoms to watch for: It’s sick season, and that usually brings to mind coughing, sneezing and running a fever brought on by respiratory viruses. But this time of year, another virus typically increases in spread, and causes more unpleasant, if short-term, symptoms. [The Oklahoman]
5 things we know and still don’t know about COVID, 5 years after it appeared: Five years ago, a cluster of people in Wuhan, China, fell sick with a virus never before seen in the world. The virus is still with us, though humanity has built up immunity through vaccinations and infections. It’s less deadly than it was in the pandemic’s early days and it no longer tops the list of leading causes of death. But the virus is evolving, meaning scientists must track it closely. [AP via Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Lack of court expense reporting blindsides Oklahoma defendants: Attorneys at Legal Aid Services say the size of an incarcerated person’s fine doesn’t matter — they wouldn’t have known it until after they agreed to pay. That’s because defendants aren’t necessarily told fines and costs, which are specific to each criminal case, before they agree to pay the total amount. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Oklahoma Lawmaker Raises Concerns Over License Plate Reading Cameras: State Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, is raising concerns about the legality of license plate reading cameras, arguing that current laws have not kept pace with advancing technology. [News on 6]
Economy & Business News
Despite strong 2024 returns, Oklahomans pessimistic for 2025: Oklahomans are among the least optimistic Americans as they consider their finances in 2025, a new survey reveals. This pessimism comes despite being the sixth-highest investment performers in 2024. [The Journal Record]
Canoo to auction off equipment after furloughing workers, pausing production: Canoo Inc., an electric vehicle design and production company, plans to auction off engineering and manufacturing equipment later this month in Torrance, California, as the company continues to restructure, according to a company spokesperson. [The Oklahoman]
- Furloughed worker: Canoo still owes employees thousands for final paychecks, expensed purchases; company not answering [KFOR]
Opinion: An environmental disaster is looming in SE Oklahoma because of a power project: An unbridled environmental disaster is looming over the wildlife that call Oklahoma and northeast Texas home. Tucked away in southeast Oklahoma, heavily forested Pushmataha County is home to an astonishing array of biodiversity. But a proposed water reservoir and power transmission project is poised to drown nearly 1,500 acres of habitat that imperiled mussels, bats, birds and reptiles depend on. [Tara Zuardo & Seth Willyard / The Oklahoman]
Community News
Dead family, lost friends: How the coronavirus changed one small town in Kansas: In rural Quinter, Kansas, as elsewhere across the country, the months after COVID-19’s arrival ignited a still-simmering battle over the proper role of government in managing public health, fomented distrust between longtime neighbors and weakened community bonds. People stopped speaking to each other. Some refused to patronize a restaurant that tried to enforce mask rules, and it closed for lack of customers. Health care workers quit in frustration and fear. [USA Today]
Local Headlines
- Downtown Wagoner blaze under investigation; fire chief gives possible source [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Gene Rainbolt, child of the Great Depression, banker, philanthropist, dead at 95 [The Oklahoman]
- Gene Rainbolt pens his own obituary: ‘This is my story of what was important to me’ [Gene Rainbolt / The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“You have to figure in bills, gas, you know — the basic necessities on top of two children. And then I also have to look at the fact that I have these fines and costs that I have to pay back because potentially, I could end up back in jail, and then what are my kids going to do?”
-Nicole Ratcliffe, a formerly incarcerated person, talking about the day-to-day impact of the $40,000 in court expenses that she owes. Most defendants aren’t necessarily told fines and costs, which are specific to each criminal case, before they agree to pay the total amount. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Number of the Day
1%
The Oklahoma Board of Equalization in December certified an estimate of $8.662 billion for General Revenue collections in Fiscal Year 2026, which starts on July 1, 2025. This year’s General Revenue estimate is about one percent lower than last year’s December estimate. [OK Policy]
Policy Note
A Benign Year in Public Finance: Will We Be Nostalgic for Normality?: The taming of inflation was the main financial story. Bond and capital markets were cooperative, even if voters upset about property taxes were not. Governors, mayors, finance directors and pension pros may soon look back wistfully at 2024’s business-as-usual atmosphere. [Governing]
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