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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.
State Government News
Lawmakers Seek Balance in Oklahoma’s Landlord-Tenant Act: Oklahoma had more than 45,000 evictions filed in each of the past four years, which critics blame on the weakness of the state’s Landlord-Tenant Act. However, a set of new bills has been proposed for the 2026 legislative session to amend the law and better support renters. [Oklahoma Watch]
Horse Racing Commission sends ‘Oklahoma-Bred Fund’ review to OSBI, state auditor: The third-party audit into a state-managed fund that supports horse breeding has been completed, but industry stakeholders left Thursday’s meeting of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission frustrated by a lingering lack of answers about a multi-million-dollar question. [NonDoc]
Oklahoma bill would limit public access to public officials’ timekeeping records: Some government watchdogs are warning a newly-filed bill looking to change Oklahoma’s Open Records Act could make it harder to keep taxpayers informed about how their tax dollars are being spent, while supporters say the bill is needed to keep public employees safe. [KFOR]
Oklahoma Voice sues state transportation department to access unredacted public records: Oklahoma Voice and its parent organization have sued the state Department of Transportation to obtain unredacted and complete copies of the agency’s flight logs. [Oklahoma Voice]
Childcare centers facing uncertainty across the state: The Licensed Childcare Association of Oklahoma (LCA) says that 427 childcare businesses have closed since November 2025. Many child care providers in Oklahoma are taking a financial hit after Oklahoma Human Services announced funding cuts. [KFOR]
As calls grow, Oklahoma’s 211 hotlines could get long-sought state money: A bill filed ahead of the 2026 legislative session would provide Oklahoma’s 211 resource hotlines with state funding for the first time in a decade. The free hotlines connect hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans each year to resources like food and mental health support. [Tulsa Flyer]
Oklahoma legislator challenges AI-driven surveillance pricing: An Oklahoma legislator and gubernatorial candidate knows she will soon have a fight on her hands when she introduces legislation this session that would ban an emerging online marketing technology that can individualize prices that people pay for food and other products based on demographics and shopping behavior. [The Journal Record]
Investigation continues into possible Walters ethics violation: On Thursday, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission discussed two major cases in their closed session, one of them surrounding former State Superintendent Ryan Walters. It stems from the potential misuse of his office for personal financial gain. The Commission voted to continue the investigation related to a possible conflict of interest. [KFOR]
Former Oklahoma mental health department official settles with Ethics Commission: The former deputy director of Oklahoma’s mental health department settled with the Ethics Commission Thursday and will pay the state $2,500 for violating lobbyist registration and reporting law. [Oklahoma Voice]
State considers legal action over campaign finance record system: The Oklahoma Ethics Commission is still looking to move forward with potential legal action against an out-of-state company that was supposed to create a new state website to track campaign spending. [KFOR]
Fact-checking claims made about Oklahoma’s lawsuit against Tyson Foods: In November, Gov. Kevin Stitt sought to intervene in a long-standing lawsuit against several poultry companies, prompting statements from both his office and Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s. This month, the poultry companies appealed the ruling and asked the court to pause enforcement of the order, while tensions between Drummond and Stitt continue to mount. Investigate Midwest reviewed and fact-checked several claims made by the governor and the attorney general. [Investigate Midwest]
Opinion, Gov. Kevin Stitt, Jeff Starling and Blayne Arthur: AG Drummond supports unwanted court action in poultry cases: Chicken farmers across our state rely on processors like Simmons, Tyson and Cargill to hire them to raise chickens and bring business to our state. Every part of the bird serves a purpose — from the protein that makes it to our dinner table to the litter that makes fertilizer. The refuse from the birds is a valuable, comparatively safe fertilizer for crops that farmers across the country have used safely for more than 20 years. This system provides affordable protein for the mom at the grocery store, protects our soil and vitally supports rural livelihoods. But now these farmers are saddled with a federal judge’s misguided order, and Attorney General Drummond supports it. [Gov. Kevin Stitt, Jeff Starling, and Blayne Arthur / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act and deploy military in Minnesota: President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday morning to send the military into Minnesota to stop protests, following another shooting by immigration agents that injured one person, seven days after an agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. [Oklahoma Voice]
Visa processing for immigrants from 75 nations frozen by Trump administration: The State Department announced Wednesday it would suspend all visa processing for immigrants hailing from 75 countries because they are deemed likely to need governmental assistance in the United States, known as a “public charge.” [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
‘Political whiplash’: Oklahoma tribes reel after quick reversal to federal mental health cuts: Tribal programs addressing mental health and substance abuse in Oklahoma lost federal funding overnight Tuesday. Roughly 24 hours later, the Trump administration moved to reinstate that support without additional explanation. But tribal leaders say they are still reeling from “political whiplash.” [KOSU]
- Area mental health, substance abuse grants reinstated after abrupt national termination [Tulsa World]
Muscogee Nation announces new app with betting on Class II games: The Muscogee Nation’s gaming division on Thursday unveiled an online gaming app that allows users to place bets on Class II games as long as they are within the Nation’s reservation. The application, whose live launch coincided with the announcement, is a first for tribal gaming, according to Principal Chief David Hill. [Tulsa World]
At Tulsa-area Native American church, Sunday service means singing in four languages: Every Sunday morning, there is an intertribal meeting that includes representation from four to six tribes. They’re not gathered to discuss compacts with the state or concerns over sovereignty. The group has come together inside Native Stone Baptist Church to worship and pray together. [Tulsa Flyer]
Education News
Oklahoma Senate Education Leadership promises focus on literacy, unveils teacher retention plan: With the 2026 Legislative Session set to begin in February, lawmakers are previewing upcoming priorities for the months ahead. Thursday, Senate Education Committee leadership said literacy will be the focal point of education policy this year. [KGOU]
- Education leaders in Oklahoma Legislature lay out literacy plans [Oklahoma Voice]
- After two tumultuous years, Senate Education Committee lays out new priorities. What are they? [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma Senate education committee outlines 2026 policy priorities [The Journal Record]
- Senate education leaders highlight goals for upcoming session [Tulsa World]
- 50th no more: Oklahoma lawmakers target sweeping education reforms in upcoming session [Tulsa Flyer]
Bixby school board approves Bible class agreement with Ohio non-profit: Bixby Public Schools’ board of education unanimously approved an application Thursday night to allow students at two schools to participate in an off-campus Bible-based character education class during the school day. [Tulsa World]
MacKenzie Scott gave $165 million to small Oklahoma colleges. How will it change them?: Over a span of three weeks in November and December, college after college in Oklahoma announced what was the largest gift in school history. The headlines at first were nearly unbelievable, then became almost routine. All the gifts came from the same source, someone with no known connection to the state. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: I’m a teacher. What can I do best for students?: Too often, the conversation about schools centers on what teachers don’t have: pay, resources, support, time, staffing, mental health services or respect. Those realities are valid. They matter deeply. But while adults argue and systems stall, students still walk through our doors every day carrying hope, trauma, brilliance, exhaustion, curiosity and need. [Kuwantu Cammon / The Oklahoman]
Health News
As AI becomes part of traditional Medicare reviews, some Oklahomans worry they’ll lose out on care: The Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model, or WISeR, is being tested in six states, including Oklahoma, starting this month. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ six-year pilot is using private companies with AI tools to process prior authorizations for and reduce spending on over a dozen treatments under traditional Medicare. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Opinion: It is time to acknowledge nursing as vital profession: As health care grows more complex and the burden of chronic disease expands, it is time to fully recognize graduate nursing as a distinct, autonomous profession equal to other advanced professional disciplines. [Toni Pratt-Reid / The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
OHP conducts ‘Operation Guardian’ enforcement on I-35: The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) announced it has conducted enforcement operations on Interstate 35. According to OHP, Operation Guardian enforcement emphasis occurred on Interstate 35 just south of the Kansas state line. Troopers, alongside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), took to the highways, ensuring motorists are in compliance with Oklahoma law. [KFOR]
TPD Internal Affairs investigating Facebook post disparaging Minnesotan killed by ICE: The Tulsa Police Department has begun an internal affairs investigation of a Facebook comment disparaging the Minnesota woman killed last week by an ICE agent that appears to be from a police officer, a department spokesman said. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Tulsa Housing Authority’s 2021 audit to be released ‘any day now’: As the calendar turned and the Tulsa Housing Authority’s befuddling audit backlog crept from four years to five, members of the THA Board of Commissioners were told Thursday that a contracted auditing firm is “packaging” the organization’s 2021 audit in preparation to release it soon. The public housing authority last released an annual audit, for the year 2020, in December 2024. [NonDoc]
FOX23 rides along with GRAND Mental Health aiding those in need: From busy intersections to hidden encampments tucked along railroad tracks and wooded areas, outreach teams with Grand Mental Health are working around the clock to reach people facing homelessness, addiction and trauma across Tulsa. [Fox 23]
Economy & Business News
Google is behind a data center planned in Sand Springs, officials say: Google has been announced as the company behind a data center planned north of downtown Sand Springs in Osage County. White Rose Partners and Sand Springs City Manager Mike Carter said Google is the end-user considering “Project Spring.” It will be Google’s fourth data center publicly announced in the area since August. [Tulsa World]
- Google emerges as tech company connected to Sand Springs data center project [Tulsa Flyer]
Community News
‘We Are Better Together.’ MLK alliance announces King holiday events: A variety of activities and events are being held in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 19. Some events are planned in the days leading up to the holiday while others will be held on the actual day. [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa’s MLK Jr. Day parade to host 125+ participants as Freedmen descendants join the flock [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Islamic Society of Tulsa plans legal challenge of Broken Arrow mosque denial: The Islamic Society of Tulsa plans to challenge Broken Arrow City Council’s decision to deny a rezoning request for a proposed mosque on the southwest side of town. In a statement Thursday, the society said it was disappointed in the decision, and leaders are considering all options to reverse it. That includes a challenge under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which prohibits government bodies from imposing discriminatory or substantially burdensome land use regulations on religious institutions. [Tulsa Flyer]
Quote of the Day
“In Oklahoma, renters lack a lot of protections that they have in other states. One of the most notable is that we are one of only six that don’t protect a tenant against landlord retaliation. It is also really hard for tenants to hold a negligent landlord responsible.”
-Sabine Brown, OK Policy’s Housing Senior Policy Analyst, speaking about the need for Oklahoma laws to better balance the rights of landlords and tenants. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: Renters need protection against landlord retaliation
Number of the Day
$39,038
The median income for all workers in Oklahoma was $39,038 in 2023, which was the nation’s 8th lowest. For this report, earnings included income from wages, salary, self-employment, or a personal business or farm but do not include other sources such as Social Security, pensions, public assistance, rental income, or investment earnings. [U.S. Department of Labor]
Policy Note
Everyone is talking about affordability — and making the same mistake: Today’s affordability debate, however, focuses almost entirely on prices, as if the only way to make life affordable is to make things cheaper. But that approach misses the bigger picture. Affordability depends on both prices and wages. The roots of today’s affordability crisis actually lie not in recent price spikes, but in the long-term suppression of workers’ pay. [Economic Policy Institute via MS NOW]
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