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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: ‘Path to zero’ is a dangerous road: During his State of the State address, the governor again pitched plans to cut — and eventually eliminate — Oklahoma’s personal income tax. This so-called “path to zero” is really a dangerous road to the bottom. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
State, local officials plan for potential immigration enforcement at schools: The Oklahoma Board of Education last week voted to recommend a proposal that would require parents to report their and their child’s immigration status or provide proof of citizenship when enrolling them in public schools. The proposal, first pitched by Republican Superintendent Ryan Walters, now goes to the legislature. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma teachers, lawmakers worry immigration raids could traumatize students [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma details plan to turn over undocumented inmates to ICE [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma’s top public safety official releases plan for state-level immigration enforcement [KOSU]
- Judge issues nationwide injunction blocking Trump executive order on birthright citizenship [Oklahoma Voice]
- Judge cements block on Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship [KFOR]
State Government News
We fact-checked Kevin Stitt’s 2025 State of the State address: Gov. Kevin Stitt renewed his call to cut state income taxes and touted business-friendly policies he says have kept Oklahoma’s economy strong during his seventh State of the State address. We used government data and other sources to fact-check Stitt’s claims about jobs, energy and education. [The Frontier]
50501 Movement in Oklahoma: Hundreds protest Trump, Ryan Walters policies at Capitol: Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Oklahoma state capitol Wednesday as part of a nationwide demonstration against President Donald Trump’s administration and the Project 2025 agenda. [The Oklahoman]
- Protesters in Tulsa, OKC and across the country ‘came to fight’ Wednesday [Tulsa World]
Stitt in attendance as Trump signs order banning trans athletes from women’s sports: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was in attendance as President Donald Trump signed an executive order in Washington D.C. on Wednesday that would bar transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams that correspond with their gender identities. [The Oklahoman]
Lawmaker tries again to ban Pride flags at schools, on government property: A bill under consideration at the Capitol would prohibit schools, city halls or other government entities from flying Pride flags significant to the LGBTQ community. [Tulsa World]
Preventing the Next Nex Benedict: One year after the trans teen’s death, Oklahoma’s queer, trans, and Indigenous community is rising up to meet a flurry of pro-fossil fuel and anti-trans policies. [Atmos]
A proposal to replace Oklahoma’s ‘unjust’ property tax: Senate Joint Resolution 15, authored by Bullard and Durant lawmaker Rep. Cody Maynard (R-District 21) proposes that property taxes collected by county government be replaced with a consumption tax. [KTEN]
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know: Gov. Kevin Stitt renewed his call for an income tax cut in the budget he proposed this week. It includes a 0.5% personal income tax cut as well as a 0.5% corporate income tax cut. Stitt claimed that would cost the state a combined $240 million in revenue, but the House Appropriations and Budget Committee puts the number at about $600 million. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: FACT CHECK: How would the governor’s proposal to cut, eliminate personal income tax affect Oklahoma
Federal Government News
Stitt in attendance as Trump signs order banning trans athletes from women’s sports: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was in attendance as President Donald Trump signed an executive order in Washington D.C. on Wednesday that would bar transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams that correspond with their gender identities. [The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Tribal leaders commend Secretary of Interior for their exemption from order slashing DEI programs: A recent Secretary Order from the Department of the Interior recognized the sovereignty of Native nations by separating them from programs related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Gender Ideology Extremism. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Oklahoma voters to decide races for mayor, city council, county commissioner: Oklahomans in 49 counties across the state are heading to the polls to pick local elected officials, decide the fate of school bonds and more. [KOSU]
OKC Ward 3: Infrastructure, public safety highlight candidate forum: A Jan. 29 forum hosted by WesTen featuring incumbent Oklahoma City Ward 3 Councilwoman Barbara Peck and challenger Katrina Avers showed the highly competitive battle between the two candidates for control of the south OKC seat. [NonDoc]
Education News
As Innovation Foundation draws inquiry, OSU President Kayse Shrum resigns: Amid an ongoing review of improper transfers of “legislatively appropriated funds” involving Oklahoma State University’s Innovation Foundation, the university’s governing board announced the resignation of OSU President Kayse Shrum this morning with no explanation, no comment from Shrum and no response to inquiries by university officials. [NonDoc]
- Questions linger following OSU president’s sudden resignation after 3.5 years in position [Oklahoma Voice]
- Regent friction, questions about foundation led to Kayse Shrum’s OSU resignation, sources say [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma State President Kayse Shrum resigns after almost four years at university [The Oklahoman]
Senators Grill Superintendent Walters Over Bible Funding: Senators peppered Superintendent Ryan Walters with questions over a $3 million budget request to buy Bibles in an appropriations committee meeting Tuesday. The request also faced scrutiny in separate House and Budget subcommittee meetings recently. [Oklahoma Watch]
Ryan Walters asks for summary judgment in defamation lawsuit filed by former Norman teacher: A new attorney hired by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has asked for summary judgment in a defamation lawsuit filed against Walters by a former Norman Public Schools teacher. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma senator pulls school-based medical services bill after backlash: Senate Bill 1017 by Elgin Republican Dusty Deevers would have disallowed medical services like occupational therapy and speech therapy from being written into students’ Individualized Education Programs, which are federally backed documents that prescribe goals and methods of attainment for students with disabilities. [KOSU]
- Oklahoma State Sen. Dusty Deevers withdraws Senate Bill 1017 after widespread dissent [The Oklahoman]
House committee advances bill requiring Oklahoma school cellphone bans: A major priority for Oklahoma lawmakers and the governor was the first item on the House Common Education Committee’s agenda Wednesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Broken Arrow school board to vote on 5-day school weeks after reaction to 4-day study: The Broken Arrow school board is preparing to discuss and vote on a proposed 2025-26 academic year calendar with five-day school weeks after months of research by a committee and public surveys about the possibility of switching to four-day school weeks. [Tulsa World]
Health News
Maternal deaths decline overall, but racial gap widens: Black women in the U.S. died at a rate nearly 3.5 times higher white women around the time of childbirth in 2023, as maternal mortality fell below prepandemic levels overall but racial gaps widened, according to federal health data released Wednesday. [The Journal Record]
OU preps tomorrow’s medical providers to care for body and mind in rural Oklahoma: A new OU Health Sciences initiative fueled by a federal grant aims to do just that by sending PA students on three-month rotations in rural primary care clinics that integrate mental health services. [KGOU]
Opinion: Shorten the line and reduce food insecurity: As the chief culinary officer at the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, I’m deeply committed to shaping the future of food access in our community. Growing up on the north side of Tulsa, I witnessed firsthand the challenges many families face in obtaining nutritious food, which has driven my passion for creating lasting solutions to food insecurity. [Jeremy Johnson / Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Clemency denial paves the way for Oklahoma’s first execution of 2025: Wendell Grissom’s execution is scheduled for March. He was convicted in the 2005 murder of Amber Dawn Matthews, who was shot while she was protecting her friend’s children during a home invasion near Watonga. [The Frontier]
- Oklahoma death row inmate Wendell Arden Grissom denied clemency [The Oklahoman]
- Clemency rejected for Oklahoma inmate set to die March 20 [The Journal Record]
This Oklahoma law aims to ease sentencing for convicted abuse survivors. Is it working?: Known as the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act, the law has been touted by some as a way to bring justice to those who claim they were defending themselves against unspeakable abuse. The effect of the law might not be known for some time. So far, one person has been released from prison. [The Oklahoman]
- Seven women say they endured domestic violence, then prison. These are their stories [The Oklahoman]
Family of car wreck victim say overgrown grass made Midwest City intersection deadly: The family of a woman killed in a car wreck has filed a tort claim against Midwest City and Oklahoma County’s Board of County Commissioners, saying that overgrown grass and vegetation at an intersection obstructed views and made the roadway deadly. [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
How Donald Trump’s oil and gas agenda could impact Oklahoma: Ranked among the top oil producers in the nation, Oklahoma could eventually see changes from Trump’s energy plans announced Jan. 20. Along with declaring a “national energy emergency,” which states the country lacks adequate energy to sustain its way of life, the president also laid out a broad energy agenda titled “Unleashing American Energy.” [KOSU]
Egg prices remain high but may level out soon: Consumers can expect egg shortages and high prices to continue into spring, but prices may peak soon and begin to level out. [The Journal Record]
Opinion: Claiming unclaimed property could help state’s economy: There’s a chance that money is waiting to be claimed by you or someone you know, even if you don’t think about it often. My office holds more than $1 billion in unclaimed assets — things like forgotten bank accounts, uncashed paychecks, utility refunds or even life insurance payouts. [State Treasurer Todd Russ / Tulsa World]
Community News
National rodeo gala honors long legacy of Black cowboys, cowgirls: The National Black Cowboy Rodeo Awards & Gala highlights the untold stories and enduring legacy of Black cowboys and cowgirls alongside their role in shaping Western culture. [KOSU]
Local Headlines
- MAPS 4 is adding $61 million of sidewalks across OKC. What to expect in 2025 [The Oklahoman]
- Nicole Harvey named director of OK History Center Museum [The Journal Record]
Quote of the Day
“We are hearing from people that many children are terrified that if they go to school, their parents won’t be there when they come home.”
-Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, the executive director and co-founder of MomsRising, said at an online forum conducted by the American Federation of Teachers regarding Trump’s immigration policies. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
20%
One in 5 (20%) of Oklahoma’s extremely low-income renter households are age 65 and older. [National Low-Income Housing Coalition]
Policy Note
2025 Budget Stakes: Many Households Could Lose Needed Rental Assistance: Affordable housing is a basic human need, but many families’ incomes aren’t high enough to afford market-rate rents in their neighborhoods. Republican federal budget proposals could make this worse. Many households already struggling to afford rent could have their housing assistance taken away, putting them at risk of eviction and homelessness. This year’s funding proposals from House Republicans are insufficient to protect rental assistance for hundreds of thousands of people [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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