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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
Early budget picture signals Oklahoma returning to scarce funding (Capitol Update): But with at least a $191 million hole in the budget to start, it looks like Oklahoma will revert to form with scarce funding. The money stashed away in various accounts during the past few years may be a cushion, probably avoiding cuts to important state services. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Drummond has joined the race for governor. Who else might announce their candidacy?: On Monday, Attorney General Gentner Drummond formally announced his plan to run for governor in 2026 during a news conference in Pawhuska. Drummond’s announcement followed that of Choctaw resident Leisa Mitchell Haynes, who announced her bid for office in July. [The Oklahoman]
- Gentner Drummond announces gubernatorial bid [Tulsa World]
- Endorsed by Oklahoma FOP, Gentner Drummond running for governor in 2026 [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announces campaign for governor [KOSU]
- Okla. Attorney General Drummond says he’ll ‘stand strong’ with Trump if elected governor [Public Radio Tulsa]
State Government News
2025 legislation filed in Oklahoma: paddling students, meat alternatives, prison rodeo: With the 2025 legislative session set to begin on Feb. 3, lawmakers have filed hundreds of bills addressing a broad range of topics, including boaters who tow skiers or tubers on state lakes and the potential manufacturing and marketing of cell-cultured meat. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma Senate Democrats to focus on wages, schools, basic needs in 2025: Oklahoma Senate Democrats unveiled on Monday a set of policy priorities focused on worker wages, education funding, health care and the public’s voice in government. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Senate Democrats release 2025 policy agenda [The Journal Record]
Oklahoma bill proposes kidnapping charges for DHS employees in custody case violations: A new bill has been filed at the State Capitol that would make reforms to how Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services handles child abuse cases. [KTUL]
Bill Filing Deadline Set for Thursday: The bill filing deadline for Oklahoma’s 2025 legislative session is Thursday, Jan. 16 at 4:00 p.m. If past sessions are any indication, thousands of bills will be filed in the House and Senate but only a few hundred will cross the finish line. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s new ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ law hasn’t solved any problems, but it’s created them: Supporters of House Bill 1449 tout it as a necessary clarification of legal definitions for “male” and “female,” tying them firmly to biological sex assigned at birth. But behind this rhetoric of rights lies something far more insidious: a calculated erasure of transgender and nonbinary Oklahomans, with consequences that will reverberate far beyond the walls of the Capitol. [Kati Malicoate / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Why Lankford, other senators want to end daylight saving time: A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is making another attempt to establish daylight saving time (DST) as the national year-round standard. [The Journal Record]
DOJ Declares Tulsa Massacre Prosecutions Impossible?: Does the DOJ’s refusal to prosecute Tulsa Massacre perpetrators signal the end of the fight for justice and reparations? The Greenwood Community response. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Voting and Election News
5 elections to watch in Oklahoma on Jan. 14: Oklahoma’s first elections of 2025 are coming up on Tuesday. The fate of school expansions, fire stations, hospitals and more will be on the ballot in two dozen counties across the state. [KOSU]
- What’s on the ballot for Jan. 14 special elections in Green Country [Public Radio Tulsa]
Bingman sworn in, Anthony departs Corporation Commission: The state’s newest corporation commissioner, Brian Bingman, was sworn into office Monday in a ceremony held in the Supreme Court’s courtroom at the Oklahoma Capitol. [Tulsa World]
Education News
Proposed bill aims to help more Ok students qualify for free, reduced-price lunches: As the cost of living continues to rise, Oklahoma lawmakers are taking another look at expanding free and reduced-price lunch programs for students. [KFOR]
Parent survey results released amid four-day school week study in Broken Arrow: More than 7,000 participants, of whom 6,146 said they are parents of Broken Arrow students, participated in an online survey in December, and the overwhelming preference is for the school district to continue to use a traditional calendar. [Tulsa World]
Head of Oklahoma teachers union resigns: The head of Oklahoma’s largest teachers union has stepped down. The Oklahoma Education Association announced Monday that its president, Katherine Bishop, has resigned to spend more time with her family. Vice President Cari Elledge will succeed her. [Oklahoma Voice]
Health News
Walmart recalls chicken broth sold in Oklahoma stores: Walmart says customers should throw out a chicken broth product that was sold at stores in mostly Southern states late last year. The FDA said the containers had packaging problems that could lead to the broth spoiling. There have been no reports of illnesses. Walmart says anyone who purchased the product at stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Texas should not consume the broth and can ask for a full refund. [The Journal Record]
Health experts seeing rise in respiratory illnesses across Oklahoma: With respiratory illnesses on the rise, Oklahoma health experts say three specific viruses stand out from the rest. According to OU Health, influenza A, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are to blame. [Newson6]
Criminal Justice News
Petition falls short for grand jury probe into child protection crimes: An effort to gather enough signatures on a petition to have a grand jury investigate alleged crimes against children and their families fell short, a judge ruled Monday. The grand jury petition accuses several state agencies and their leaders of neglect of duty and seeks the ouster of any who have done so. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Oklahoma bill could ban almost all cities from offering homeless outreach, shutter shelters: A bill proposed in Oklahoma would make it illegal for almost all cities in the state to provide homeless shelters or outreach and halt existing programs. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma aims to ban all but two cities from providing homeless shelters, homeless outreach [KFOR]
Community News
When is MLK Day Jr. 2025? What to know about the holiday and why it is celebrated: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up this month, a federal holiday honoring the life and birthday of the influential civil rights leader. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming holiday, why we celebrate it and why it’s more than just a long weekend. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Former Gilcrease Elementary School in north Tulsa to be demolished [Tulsa World]
- ‘This has been needed’: Edmond City Manager Scot Rigby resigns [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma City receives nearly $20 million grant for improved transit [KOSU]
Quote of the Day
“The need already far outweighs the capacity and the resources [in Oklahoma City and Tulsa]. If smaller communities are no longer able to provide their own services, and folks are forced to move to other cities in the state to get help, it’s going to just further strain those already under-resourced systems.”
-Homeless Alliance CEO Meghan Mueller said, speaking about how limiting homelessness efforts from smaller, rural communities will negatively impact the state. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
30,000
Estimated number of Oklahoma children with major depression who do not receive treatment. [America’s School Mental Health Report Card / Hopeful Futures Campaign]
Policy Note
Supporting Crisis Stabilization for Youth and Young Adults during Reentry: Research points to an overrepresentation of youth with behavioral health needs in the justice system, with nearly 70 percent having a diagnosable mental health disorder. This brief provides justice professionals who are responsible for youth and young adult case planning with best practice guidance on how to engage, collaborate, and partner with the systems that can address reentry needs and prevent crises that may lead to future justice system involvement. This guidance is drawn from both relevant research and lessons learned from Bureau of Justice Assistance-funded programs focused on reentry and crisis stabilization among youth and young adults. [Council of State Governments]
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