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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
Eviction records should not create a lifelong barrier to housing: State policymakers have an opportunity this session to ensure an eviction doesn’t scar a tenant for life. Because Oklahoma has stagnant wages and lack of adequate support systems like rental assistance, one disaster can quickly push renters towards missed rent and eviction. In today’s tight housing market, a single eviction record can close doors long after it happened; sealing eviction records helps prevent small mistakes from becoming permanent obstacles. [Sabine Brown / OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
ICE expanding operations in OKC, recruits local attorneys: The new ICE legal office is located next to the recently opened Clara Luper National Sit-In Plaza. The civil rights landmark stands in contrast to demonstrations and lawsuits sparked across the country over the agency’s actions, most visibly seen in reports of masked agents stopping people of color, including U.S. citizens and people in the country legally, as part of a massive search for undocumented residents. [The Oklahoman]
Editorial: A SoonerCare and SNAP train wreck seems to be looming: Three more months remain in this year’s legislative session. That’s plenty of time for legislators concerned about the direction we’re heading to call for a full and open public hearing to demand explanations and answers from those in charge of SoonerCare and SNAP, find out what really needs to be done and take action before the crash occurs and our neediest residents become collateral damage. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
State Government News
‘Starting point for negotiations’: Senate would redirect Teacher Retirement System funds in #oklaed plan: In an opening salvo between two chambers destined to debate public education issues during the year’s legislative session, Senate Republican Caucus leaders unveiled a proposal to cap Teachers’ Retirement System deposits and redirect $254 million toward a $2,500 across-the-board teacher pay raise, math and reading resources and an expansion of the Parental Choice Tax Credit. [NonDoc]
- Senate plan would spend $254M to improve reading scores, raise Oklahoma teacher pay [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma could expand private school tax credits with money meant for pensions [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma lawmakers propose shuffling teacher retirement funds to pay for education agenda [KOSU]
- Oklahoma Senate leaders unveil $254 million plan for teacher pay raises, education priorities [KSWO]
- Sen. Adam Pugh explains Senate’s proposal to expand Parental Choice Tax Credit with redirected funds (video) [The Oklahoman]
Gov. Stitt says Oklahoma wildfire response has improved, questions need for state forester: Wildfire season continues in Oklahoma, and on Tuesday, Governor Kevin Stitt and other state leaders responded to the state’s response to recent fires. [Fox 25]
Long Story Short: More Than 30 Oklahoma Agencies Sign Immigration Enforcement Agreements (podcast): Reporters discuss the State Farm hail claim saga, shifts in the state’s $2.2 billion tobacco trust fund, and the rise of “Operation Guardian” immigration enforcement. [Oklahoma Watch]
Legislative Roundup
- Bills seek to clawback powers given Oklahoma governor [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma weighs bill to restrict access to agencies’ public records [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma Bill Would Extend Foster Care to Age 21 [KFOR]
- Oklahoma lawmakers move forward on measures to support stable housing for families [Fox 23]
- Lawmarkers consider bills related to state’s Open Meetings Act [Southwest Ledger]
Federal Government News
Trump in State of the Union speech touts US ‘turnaround for the ages,’ attacks Democrats: President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday to lambaste Democrats and the Biden administration, while pitching the Republican Party to voters ahead of this year’s crucial midterm elections. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Trump uses longest-ever State of the Union to try to convince voters that US is ‘winning so much’ [KOCO]
- Oklahoma leaders react to President Trump’s State of the Union address [Fox 25]
Trump Education Department outsources more responsibilities, continuing proposed wind-down: President Donald Trump’s administration took more steps Monday to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, announcing two additional interagency agreements with other departments that will transfer more of its responsibilities to those agencies. [Oklahoma Voice]
‘It splits my soul.’ Immigrants, archbishop discuss immigration crackdown: An Oklahoma faith leader has asked the Trump administration to allow clergy inside immigration detention centers to offer pastoral care for detainees. Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told a group of local parishioners that the request was among the issues he discussed during a high-profile meeting with President Donald Trump in January. [The Oklahoman]
Some refugees in Tulsa could be arrested, detained under new federal policy: At least 200 refugees living in the Tulsa area are at risk of being arrested and detained under a new policy issued last week by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to a local immigration attorney working to ensure that doesn’t happen. [Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Toilets, t-shirts and tribal finances: Kiowa Legislature moves to impeach Chairman Lawrence SpottedBird: The Kiowa Legislature voted 6-0 on Valentine’s Day to begin removal proceedings against Chairman Lawrence SpottedBird and set March 2 as the date of his impeachment hearing. Under the Kiowa Tribe’s Constitution, the legislators will have to vote unanimously to trigger his removal. [NonDoc]
Education News
From Top Half to Near Last: How Oklahoma’s Schools Lost Three Decades of Ground and What Can Be Learned from Mississippi: On nearly every important measure of academic success, Oklahoma now sits at the bottom. That hasn’t always been the case. In the 1990s, Oklahoma ranked in the top half of states in reading and math, but began to fall in 2000. The slide quickened from 2015 to 2024 as Oklahoma dropped from 37th to 48th. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma schools race to hire teachers amid statewide shortage: Oklahoma school districts are starting their hiring season early this year, as they compete to secure teachers amid a statewide shortage. [KOCO]
This federal program has helped 26K Tulsans get college degrees, including Tulsa’s second in command: TRIO programs have been around nationally for six decades, providing federally funded support to first-generation students, low-income students and students with disabilities hoping to complete higher education. TRIO shows up in two ways on TCC’s campus: support for active students at the college and resources for those looking for post-secondary opportunities. Through dozens of local partnerships, these two programs have helped thousands of low-income and first-generation students. [Tulsa Flyer]
Opinion: Third-grade retention not the answer for Oklahoma: After investing so much time trying to get Oklahoma political and business leaders to listen to serious researchers, as opposed to ideology-driven lobbyists, a scholarly paper by the SRI, “Beyond the Surface: Leveraging High-Quality Instructional Materials for Robust Reading Comprehension Learning” funded by Tulsa’s Schusterman Family Foundation, could be an invaluable tool for improving literacy. [John Thompson / The Oklahoman]
Health News
North Tulsa group expands fight against diabetes with help of $17M grant: Northside Neighbors wants to reduce diabetes in north Tulsa, where the disease is more prevalent than in other parts of town. Through a partnership with FreshRx Oklahoma, the group is working to solve a problem that’s mostly been driven by a lack of access to fresh food and income disparities. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Criminal Justice News
Outcry over 73-day prison stay spurs push to tighten Oklahoma early release program: Norman resident Sara Polston was released a few months into her eight-year prison sentence for a crash that left Micaela Borrego with a traumatic brain injury. The case is fueling a legislative effort to prevent people convicted of similar crimes from qualifying for GPS-monitored early release. [The Frontier]
- Oklahoma legislators propose change that could send Sara Polston back to prison [The Oklahoman]
- Bill aims to tackle loophole in a state law [KFOR]
Oklahoma sees drop in domestic violence homicides, organization sees different picture: Data released in early February from the Oklahoma Attorney General suggests a 7-year low in domestic violence homicides, but one local advocacy group said it serves some of the people who are at greatest risk. [News 9]
OSBI investigating after Harmon County sheriff, deputies resignations: State authorities are investigating after law enforcement officials in a small southwest Oklahoma city abruptly resigned in late February. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
Providers warn of more closures as Oklahoma child care cuts continue: An urgent meeting is set for families at Legacy Childhood Education in Broken Arrow as providers across Oklahoma brace for additional state child care funding cuts expected in April and July. [Fox 23]
Local Headlines
- Edmond developer talks plans for new townhomes on Second and University (video) [The Oklahoman]
- Edmond rewriting city planning and land development regulations [The Oklahoman]
- Two historic downtown OKC buildings could soon be converted to apartments [KOCO]
- Tulsa mayor’s sales tax proposal is all but dead, with an unclear timeline of return [Tulsa Flyer]
- Tulsa Public Schools board votes to recoup legal fees from board member E’Lena Ashley [Tulsa Flyer]
Quote of the Day
“Public dollars belong in public schools with public transparency and legislative oversight.”
– Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, responding to a Senate proposal to redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from the Teachers’ Retirement System — including funding that would help expand private school tax credits — as lawmakers debate education spending priorities during the state budget process. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
80%
Percent of Oklahoma property tax revenue collections that fund education (public schools and career techs) in Oklahoma. [State Auditor FY 2019 Report]
Policy Note
Eliminating School Property Taxes for Texas Homeowners Could Backfire Sooner Rather Than Later: States across the country have seen recent budget surpluses, often due to temporary factors like American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds or stock market gains and higher consumer spending pushing up tax collections. Most states, including Texas, expect weaker revenue growth in the upcoming budget cycle. If the state exhausts its surplus, it will face a choice between increasing taxes or cutting spending to maintain the property tax break. Because Texas is a sales tax reliant state, both options would disproportionately affect lower-income residents. [Tax Policy Center]
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