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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
Policy Matters: Initial budget picture should caution state lawmakers: The upcoming legislative session presents a crucial opportunity for Oklahoma lawmakers to make strategic decisions that will shape the state’s future. The early budget picture, presented at December’s Board of Equalization meeting, suggests that Oklahoma may once again face funding scarcity as the state’s needs continue to outpace revenues. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
Tulsa faith leaders react to Trump’s lifting of ban on immigration arrests in church: Local religious leaders are reacting to updated federal guidance allowing immigration police to make arrests inside schools and churches. [Tulsa Public Radio]
- Churches, schools are no longer off limits to agents rounding up undocumented migrants [KGOU]
- Amid prospect of mass deportations, remember love of neighbor, Oklahoma archbishop says [Catholic Culture]
- Related: Opinion: Church attendance is shrinking. Masses at the Rother Shrine prove otherwise [Father Don Wolf / The Oklahoman]
State Government News
Oklahoma lawmakers argue against potential dismissal of their appeal of OG&E rate increase: Three Republican lawmakers are trying to stop the state’s highest court from dismissing their appeal of an $127 million OG&E rate increase approved by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to build new licensing, inspection software: The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is working to build a licensing and inspection software to replace the agency’s current “inefficient” program. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Attorney General seeks millions to expand physical footprint: Saddled with more responsibilities, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is seeking to expand his office’s physical footprint across the street from the Capitol. [Oklahoma Voice]
Medical examiner’s office seeks $3.5 million to regain Oklahoma’s national accreditation: Dr. Eric Pfeifer, chief medical examiner, said the agency lost accreditation in 2019 through the National Association of Medical Examiners, which found 29 deficiencies due to staffing shortages and inadequate facilities. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma lawmaker proposes bill to limit length of trains: A new bill introduced for the 2025 legislative session would limit the length of trains in Oklahoma. The legislation’s goal is to relieve traffic concerns. [KGOU]
In Oklahoma’s oil fields, a push to remedy carbon emissions: Positioned between acres of rolling fields near Shidler, Oklahoma, are twin white hoop barns and industrial machinery. The Bantam site, opened by carbon capture company Heimdal in August, uses crushed limestone to passively absorb carbon dioxide, strip away the gas in a 2,000-degree kiln and reuse the rock. [KGOU]
Federal Government News
First abortion-related bill, sponsored by Oklahoma lawmaker, blocked by U.S. Senate Democrats: Sen. James Lankford, who sponsored the eight-page bill, said debate on the legislation was ‘not just an academic issue,’ but one with real-world implications. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tulsans fearful after President Trump’s executive orders tightening immigration: As of this summer, Tulsa is home to approximately 46,000 immigrants according to the mayor’s office. They make up nearly 11% of the city’s population. With a number of executive orders coming down from President Trump narrowing in on stricter immigration measures, many in Tulsa are fearful. [2 News Oklahoma]
- Related: DOJ threatens to prosecute local officials for resisting immigration enforcement [KOSU]
Tribal Nations News
Supreme Court says Drummond can’t take over tribal-gaming case over Stitt’s objection: While Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond can enter an appearance in a federal lawsuit over a series of tribal gaming deals signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2020, Drummond cannot take and assume control of the defense of the State’s interests in the case over the objection of Stitt, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma high court resolves power dispute between Stitt, Drummond [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court in middle as Stitt, Drummond butt heads over federal lawsuit [Tulsa World]
- ‘Supreme executive power’: Governor has right to hire outside counsel, AG power ‘subordinate’ [NonDoc]
University of Oklahoma Researchers Investigate Maternal Health Disparities with a Focus on Indigenous Mothers: According to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indigenous mothers are three times more likely to die during or after pregnancy compared to non-Hispanic White mothers. Over 90% of these deaths are preventable. [Hoodline]
Education News
Tulsa teacher turned lawmaker proposes Oklahoma’s Promise expansion: A former Tulsa teacher newly elected to the Legislature has put forward a bill to expand a scholarship program for Oklahoma students, adding eligibility for children of public school teachers and support staff. [Tulsa World]
Lawmakers talk education during Legislative Kickoff: Oklahoma Senate and House leaders plan to address education issues including outcomes and financial investment in teachers and schools in the upcoming legislative session. [The Journal Record]
- Education among top priorities for Oklahoma lawmakers ahead of 2025 session [KOCO5]
Criminal Justice News
Charges dropped against OKC police officer after victim felt ‘coerced’ into legal action: Charges of rape, kidnapping and domestic assault and battery against an Oklahoma City police officer have been dropped after the victim said she felt she had been “coerced” into pressing charges. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma death row inmate Brenda Andrew may get new trial: What to know about her case: A woman who’s been on Oklahoma’s death row for two decades could get another shot at defending herself after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that she may not have received a fair trial because of sex-shaming by prosecutors. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Oklahoma secures over $18 million in federal funds to combat homelessness: The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of a $3.6 billion national initiative to address homelessness, backed by the Biden-Harris administration in its final days. [KOSU]
The future of housing in Ardmore: Only single-family homes were given the permit Tuesday night to be built on 75 acres of land off South Plainview Road, as taxpayers posed questions to city commissioners about development elsewhere. [KTEN]
Opinion: Proposed homeless legislation is bad public policy and mean-spirited (video):: Two bills in Oklahoma legislature do nothing to address the homelessness issue in Oklahoma. We can, and should, do better. [Ginnie Graham and Michael Brose / Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Launch Rural OK to support rural entrepreneurs: A new consortium, Rural Ecosystem Builders, has launched a collaborative initiative branded as Launch Rural OK to support small business development in rural Oklahoma [The Journal Record]
Community News
This new app gives a unique tour of Oklahoma’s Black history: Doris Youngblood remembers the excitement and sense of affirmation she felt as a young Black girl learning about Black Oklahomans who overcame the trials of racism and segregation to triumph as successful leaders in their communities. As founder of Oklahoma Black Living Legacy, Youngblood and other members of the nonprofit hope to share that same excitement and pride with other Oklahomans through a new mobile app designed to educate users about the state’s rich Black history. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Stop stalling on Black Wall Street National Monument Act: U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division summarizes the report by proclaiming that the “Tulsa Race Massacre stands out as a civil rights crime unique in its magnitude, barbarity, racist hostility and its utter annihilation of a thriving Black community.” The report is further evidence that Senate Bill 3543 (Historic Greenwood District — Black Wall Street National Monument Establishment Act) should be passed by Congress and signed into law. [Reuben Gant and Michael Pegues / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Fighting antisemitism continues well after Holocaust liberation 80 years ago: On Monday, the world will observe the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, now commemorated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Many think this date signifies the end of the Holocaust, the end of suffering. [Sofia Thornblad / Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa City Council eliminates opening prayer after pagan invocation raises concerns [The Oklahoman]
- Budget discipline among priorities identified during Tulsa City Council/mayor retreat [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“The majority of undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma are upstanding members of our communities and churches, not violent criminals. They are our friends and neighbors. They happen to be some of the most vulnerable in our midst.”
-Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City reflecting on President Donald Trump’s lift of the ban on immigration arrests in churches. [Catholic Culture]
Number of the Day
25.8%
Black people represent more than 1 in 4 people (25.8%) who are in Oklahoma prisons and jails, while representing only 7 percent of the state’s population. [Economic Policy Institute]
Policy Note
Forced prison labor in the “Land of the Free”: Despite producing billions of dollars in value for the benefit of prisons and the private sector, incarcerated workers have almost no labor rights and are paid very little—if they are paid at all—for menial, exploitative, and at times dangerous work that fails to prepare them for life beyond incarceration. These dynamics are particularly extreme in the South, which incarcerates people—primarily Black men—at the highest rates in the world and is more likely than other regions to force incarcerated people to work for nothing at all. Prison labor not only masks the true costs of mass incarceration but also locks states into inhumane, regressive, and inefficient forms of revenue generation while deepening racial inequities and imposing high fiscal and social costs on local economies. [Economic Policy Institute]
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