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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
Three new bills target rising home insurance costs in Oklahoma (Capitol Update): Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt (Oklahoma City) has introduced three consumer-focused insurance reform bills aimed at responding to the recent significant increases in property insurance rates across Oklahoma. SB 1435 prohibits insurance companies from using credit scores to set insurance rates for property owners. SB 1438 and SB 1444 are intended to address the causes of high property insurance rates. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
- In Depth: OK Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt discusses rise of homeowners insurance costs [Fox 23]
- How do credit scores affect homeowners insurance in your county?
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma Senate leader criticizes proposed property tax elimination on homesteads: The leader of the Oklahoma Senate strongly criticized a proposed initiative petition seeking to phase out property taxes for some homeowners. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Leaders urge caution on property tax reform as revenue elimination discussed [Tulsa World]
- From OK Policy: Eliminating property taxes would devastate crucial local services | VIDEO: Property taxes fund Oklahoma emergency services
Oklahoma board denies Jewish charter school proposal, setting stage for another court battle: A proposal for a Jewish charter school was denied Monday by the same state governing board that was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court last year in trying to facilitate the establishment of an openly religious Catholic charter school. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma board rejects Jewish charter school, braces for a court battle [Oklahoma Voice]
- OK Statewide Charter School Board rejects Jewish charter school proposal [Fox 23]
- Jewish virtual charter school proposal rejected by state board [News on 6]
State Government News
Oklahoma lawmakers move quickly as 2026 session begins: Committee hearings, ballot referral debates and early bills signaled an active start at the Capitol. [News on 6]
As #okleg returns, 5 questions linger for ODMHSAS: Drama at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is as long-running as the agency’s cumbersome name. Among other problems, ODMHSAS is currently weathering a budget crisis, a consent decree for a lawsuit alleging the agency violated its patients’ constitutional rights and criticism of its contracted services through certified community behavioral health clinics. [NonDoc]
Bill to protect Oklahoma worship services becomes law: Senate Bill 743 was the first measure he signed this session. The law, which became effective upon Stitt’s signature, creates enhanced penalties for the unlawful disruption of a worship service. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma panel passes measure to ban lab-grown meat: The Senate Agriculture and Wildlife Committee passed Senate Bill 2121 by a vote of 9-3, despite concerns it took away consumer freedom and was designed to protect the agriculture industry. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Bill proposing ban on lab-produced meat advanced by Senate committee [Tulsa World]
States, including Oklahoma, move to ban NDAs that silence survivors of child sexual abuse: Critics of nondisclosure agreements say they’re a legal tool — originally intended to protect confidential corporate information — that’s been misused to suppress survivors’ stories and shield organizations that enable abuse. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma lawmakers push for vote on fentanyl education bill: Oklahoma state Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, is calling for action on a law that would require fentanyl education in schools across the state. House Bill 1484, or Rain’s Law, would require age-appropriate fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness for students in Oklahoma. [KSWO]
What would happen if Oklahoma ‘shut down’ medical marijuana like Gov. Stitt wants?: A complete elimination of Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry as proposed last week by Gov. Kevin Stitt would have a tsunami effect on hundreds of thousands of people. According to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, more than 315,000 people currently are licensed by the state to use marijuana legally for medical reasons. [Tulsa World]
Federal Government News
How cigars, whiskey and an old-school Oklahoman got the government funded: The crucial votes to fund the government last week were brokered in Speaker Mike Johnson‘s ceremonial office just off the House floor. But the groundwork to get the $1.6 trillion spending package through the chamber was laid in a literal smoke-filled room just steps away. [Politico]
Oklahoma-based federal ag workforce lost nearly 1 in 5 of its employees last year: Around 18% of Oklahoma’s agricultural federal workforce left or lost their jobs in the first half of 2025 A U.S. Department of Agriculture report shows most of the workers took a deferred resignation deal. [KOSU]
Health care workers want ICE out of hospitals, and blue states are responding: Last month, the parents of a 7-year-old girl whose nose wouldn’t stop bleeding took her to Portland Adventist Health in Portland, Oregon, for urgent care. Before the family could get through the doors, federal immigration agents reportedly detained them in the parking lot and took them to a detention center in Texas. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Muscogee Nation conducts first international repatriation, reestablishes diplomacy with Scottish leadership: A contingent of tribal officials traveled more than 4,000 miles to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland last month. While there, they helped bring four Muscogee and two Euchee ancestors back to the lands in Georgia from which they were forcibly taken. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Election preview: OKC votes for mayor, Norman City Council spots up for grabs and more: Most of the issues on the ballot are at the local level, with contests for mayor, school boards and more on the schedule. Cities and districts will also decide on local propositions and bonds. [KOSU]
- Oklahoma elections 2026: Voting locations, sample ballot, OKC mayor candidate info [The Oklahoman]
- Polls open Tuesday for $20.3M Jenks school bond package [Tulsa Flyer]
- Find your polling location on the Oklahoma Voter Portal.
One candidate leads packed GOP race for Oklahoma governor, poll shows: A new poll shows Attorney General Gentner Drummond is continuing to lead the Republican primary race for governor. In deeply red Oklahoma, it’s the Republican primary, not the general election, that usually determines the eventual winner of statewide races. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: The people should get the say on initiative process changes: The initiative petition is the people’s only line of defense when their government stops working for them. Unfortunately, during every one of my seven years in the Legislature, there have been attempts to weaken that power. Last year’s Senate Bill 1027 was the most blatant effort yet, and it is now being challenged in court. [Rep. Andy Fugate / The Oklahoman]
Education News
Bill raising cap on private school tax credits gets House committee’s OK: Legislation that would give more state money to private schools and local school boards less control over publicly funded charter schools in their districts advanced in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma committee advances bill to expand private school tax credits statewide [KOCO]
- Lawmakers debate $50M expansion of Parental Choice Tax Credit cap [KFOR]
- Video: In Depth: Debate grows over expanding Oklahoma’s school choice tax credit [Fox 23]
- From OK Policy: Vouchers: Another Wrong Turn for Oklahoma Schools
Health News
Families caught in Integris vs. UnitedHealthcare gridlock fear losing health care: The gridlock in negotiations centers on reimbursement rates, more specifically, how much UnitedHealthcare pays Integris Health for services provided to the insurer’s members. Both parties have publicly blamed the other for the impasse, with each claiming the other’s position would harm patients and families. [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Former city attorney alleges ‘nefarious’ scheme to keep money OKC police seized: A former longtime attorney for Oklahoma City says the city engaged in a “nefarious scheme” to keep potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars from civil forfeitures that should have gone to victims, the courts or back to the owners. [The Oklahoman]
Second Stillwater Teen Faces Rape Charges as Unequal Treatment Questions Mount: A Stillwater high school student convicted of sexual assault, who last year became the focus of national attention for what critics called a lenient sentence, is again under scrutiny, as Payne County pursues a case against another teenager accused of similar but lesser crimes. [Oklahoma Watch]
Economy & Business News
Expand Energy, formerly Chesapeake, to move its headquarters out of OKC: The company formerly known as Chesapeake Energy announced Monday it will no longer be headquartered in Oklahoma. It’s the second major energy company to leave the state this month. [KOSU]
- Experts: Energy firms leaving OKC for Houston driven largely by shareholder, industry pressures [KFOR]
- Harold Hamm says Continental Resources will stay in OKC as rivals move to Houston [The Oklahoman]
Tissue maker Sofidel plans $800 million expansion at Port of Inola plant: Sofidel, an Italy-based tissue maker with a 1.8-million-square-foot factory at the Port of Inola, is undergoing an $800 million expansion. [Tulsa World]
Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce celebrates Latino entrepreneurs and businesses during annual luncheon: The City of Tulsa’s economic future is largely tied to the social and economic health of the Hispanic community, Mayor Monroe Nichols said during the Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon. The Hispanic community is not only growing but shaping the future of Tulsa, he said. [Tulsa Flyer]
Community News
Greenwood Rising’s ‘Freedom Fridays’ offers free admission to history center: Greenwood Rising’s “Freedom Fridays” returns this year for Oklahomans interested in visiting the history center to learn more about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The initiative offers free admission for state residents on the second Friday of each month. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Local Headlines
- Data center gets city leaders discussing how sound nuisance violations are assessed [Tulsa World]
- There’s a new push to evict what some call a ‘Klan trophy’ from Tulsa’s oldest park [Tulsa Flyer]
Quote of the Day
“The gospel of Jesus does not look like what your state of the state sounded like… They (Medicaid and SNAP) need to be fully funded. They certainly don’t need to be cut. They certainly don’t need to be eliminated. There are certainly no resources coming in that would enable congregations to do much more than what we’re doing. We can’t always do everything because we are a small congregation. But we don’t put limits on who helps either.”
—Reverend of East Sixth Street Christian Church, Jesse Jackson Jr., responding to Gov. Stitt’s continuous calls for cuts to government programs and insistence that local churches, non-profits and neighbors can handle the growing needs of vulnerable Oklahomans. [KFOR]
Number of the Day
$4,138
Oklahomans with a low credit score (630) pay an average of $4,138 more for their home insurance — or more than twice the amount that people with a high credit score (820) pay. [Consumer Federation of America]
Policy Note
Penalized: The Hidden Cost of Credit Score in Homeowners Insurance Premiums: Insurance companies take into account dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of factors when they price insurance. How much an insurance company charges any given homeowner for their insurance is also shaped by the qualities of their home, such as the roof’s age, the construction materials, and how much it would cost to rebuild. But even two neighbors with the exact same type of house may get charged wildly different insurance premiums, since most insurance companies consider individual factors as well to price insurance. These factors include customers’ marital status, occupation, and, as this issue brief shows, credit history. [Consumer Federation of America]
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