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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: Dark money has no place in Oklahoma: A group funding dark money political campaigns — and strongly linked to the governor — has started releasing ads touting his ill-conceived tax cut proposals. As can be expected from political ads funded anonymously by rich donors, they champion proposals that favor their self-interest. They do so at the expense of everyday Oklahomans while pretending to do the opposite. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
- From OK Policy: Fact check: How would the governor’s proposal to cut, eliminate personal income tax affect Oklahoma?
Oklahoma News
Lawsuit filings confirm Ryan Walters’ agency tried to buy Trump Bibles a second time: A slew of filings this week in a lawsuit over state school Superintendent Ryan Walters’ Bible mandate confirmed not only the existence of a second attempt by Walters’ agency to use state money to buy thousands of Bibles, but also the reticence of a state agency that handles such purchases to assist in that quest. [The Oklahoman]
- State Department of Education begins handing out Bibles despite budget request rejection [Tulsa World]
- Senate subcommittee nixes Ryan Walters’ $3 million ask for Bibles in budget recommendation [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: How many brooms do we need to keep our government clean and well managed?: The question many are asking now is a simple one: Isn’t there some way to ensure that government operations are financially responsible and effective on an ongoing basis? Good government performance isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue and should have bipartisan support. Why does it take a scandal to bring about change? [William C. Wertz / The Oklahoman]
State Government News
Governor calls for audit of Oklahoma mental health agency, says it may need additional funding: Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday called for an audit of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services after the agency’s head aired concerns about financial mismanagement. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma governor calls for special audit of state mental health agency [KOSU]
- Stitt requests audit of state mental health agency after commissioner raises concerns [The Oklahoman]
- Gov. Stitt speaks on state audit on Oklahoma mental health department in weekly presser (video) [The Oklahoman]
Measure would ask voters to alter selection process of Oklahoma appellate judges: A Senate panel on Wednesday passed a measure to ask voters to dramatically alter how appellate court judges are selected, despite concerns it would politicize the process. Senate Joint Resolution 6 is a constitutional amendment that asks voters to abolish the Judicial Nominating Commission. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma bill would curtail state superintendent’s control over school board meetings: Following complaints from the Oklahoma State Board of Education, lawmakers introduced legislation to limit the state superintendent’s control over the board’s operations. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Who should set ed board agendas? After ousting members, Stitt wants new appointees to have a say [KGOU]
- House speaker files bill to give education board members access to meeting agenda after OSBE showdown [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma legislature, governor look to modify education board operations [The Journal Record]
Walters reissues push for AG opinion on whether Trump order pulls funding from immigrant students: State Superintendent Ryan Walters reissued a request Wednesday to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond after Drummond refused to issue a formal opinion on a Trump executive order. [KGOU]
Lawmaker challenge to Stitt’s back-to-office order is headed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court: After a judge’s dismissal, State Representative Andy Fugate is taking his lawsuit against Gov. Kevin Stitt to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. [KOSU]
- Lawmaker appeals decision to toss return-to-office lawsuit to Oklahoma Supreme Court [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma House Votes to End “Chevron Deference,” Bolsters Legislative Authority Over Agencies: In a move that could reshape the judicial scrutiny of administrative decisions, the Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted in favor of a bill that would end the legal principle known as “Chevron deference.” This principle, which has directed courts to defer agencies’ interpretations of ambiguous rules, was recently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. [Hoodline]
State agency accused of flooding northeast Oklahoma town defies federal request for records: A Grand River Dam Authority’s report found it shouldn’t have to buy out landowners affected by chronic flooding. But the agency won’t hand over records showing how the study was performed. [The Frontier]
House panel advances legislation to establish Oklahoma residential wind turbine setbacks: Lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill that would create the first residential setbacks for wind turbines amid growing calls for additional regulation on Oklahoma’s renewable energy industry. [Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
DOGE says it wants to close 15 federal offices in Oklahoma to save about $2.9 million: Despite Oklahoma’s solid red recent voting history and the fact each member of the state’s congressional delegation has a well-worn Republican Party membership card, the Sooner State has been hit hard by the Trump administration’s efforts to close federal agencies and lay off federal employees. Those efforts continue. [The Oklahoman]
- Sen. James Lankford challenged some federal office closings in Oklahoma [The Oklahoman]
- Trump administration deletes list of hundreds of federal buildings targeted for potential sale [AP News]
Republicans need to cut Medicaid to hit budget savings target, CBO finds: Republicans can’t achieve their goal of slashing $2 trillion in federal spending over the next decade without cutting Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). [The Hill]
GOP senators tell Musk DOGE actions will require their votes: Republican senators told tech billionaire Elon Musk at a closed-door meeting Wednesday that his aggressive moves to shrink the federal government will need a vote on Capitol Hill, sending a clear message that he needs to respect Congress’s power of the purse. [The Hill]
Oklahoma’s D.C. delegation reacted to Trump’s speech last night: Here’s what they said: Most of Oklahoma’s all-Republican federal delegation turned to social media as President Donald Trump spoke at a joint address to Congress, cheering the president’s domestic and foreign policy actions since taking office over a month ago. [The Oklahoman]
Okla. Black leaders respond to Trump’s speech: Black community leaders, elected officials, activists and celebrities responded to President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. Trump addressed the nation’s legislative body with a fiery, partisan talk playing to his base. Democrats responded with their own message. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Opinion: Trump risks the same trap with Putin as Britain did with Hitler: We live in treacherous times and need wise, perceptive leadership in our foreign policy. China, North Korea, Iran and others itch to exploit any hint of weakness. [Andy Lester and Mariana Pitts / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: DOGE fired me from USAID. I’ll be fine, but America is in trouble: Federal employees are driven by a belief in the importance of public service, toil long hours to advance their missions and bring specialized skills and knowledge that can’t easily be replaced. [Peter Gaff / The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Opinion: Oklahoma voters would get more freedom in passage of State Question 835: Open primaries would give voters real choices in elections. State Question 835 would replace our current closed primary system, which excludes thousands of voters and limits participation to party members, with an open system. [Adam Kupetsky / Tulsa World]
Education News
OSU audit: Fiscal decisions ‘violated state laws’ with ‘improper’ diversion of $41 million: One month after the sudden resignation of President Kayse Shrum shook the Oklahoma State University community, institution officials responded to an open records request today with a report outlining how $41 million of state appropriations “were not properly restricted and in some instances were co-mingled with other funds,” including $11.5 million of “improper” transfers to the OSU Innovation Foundation, whose director resigned last month as well. [NonDoc]
- Internal audit finds ‘significant issues’ in how OSU spent appropriated money [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma State University audit shows $41 million improperly distributed [KOSU]
Opinion, Rep. Rob Hall: Stop buying technology for students and spend the money on teachers instead: The harsh reality is we are falling far short of the standard of excellence each Oklahoma child deserves. A simple mindset shift I believe we need to make in legislative chambers, administrative offices and classrooms across our state. We need to prioritize teachers over technology. [Rep. Rob Hall / Tulsa World]
Health News
How does Oklahoma test for measles? What to know amid national outbreak: An Oklahoma elementary school issued an alert to students and parents Tuesday after a staff member reportedly tested positive for measles. However, the case was later determined to be a false alarm. [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
The State Expanded Medical Parole Four Years Ago, but the Number of Medical Paroles Has Plummeted: Rather than becoming more common, medical paroles have decreased dramatically since the law went into effect on November 1, 2021, according to data from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. In the three years prior to the law’s passage, 30 medical paroles were granted in Oklahoma; since 2021, there have been only six. [Oklahoma Watch]
New book details ‘untold story’ of lethal injection, chronicling its Oklahoma roots: Lethal injection is the most common form of execution in the United States, designed to appear sterile, swift and humane. But as an author reveals in her forthcoming book, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, that perception is far from reality. [KOSU]
Oklahoma bill to ease college access for justice-involved goes to House floor: A bill that would make it easier for people with criminal convictions to attend college has passed a key committee, sending it to the Oklahoma House for a full vote on the floor. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Opinion: Bill seeks to reduce repeat incarceration through education: Over the past several years, criminal justice policy has moved towards long-term solutions to the problem of over-incarceration. This week, we hope to see further support in Oklahoma, as the Senate Public Safety Committee considers a bill that could empower incarcerated people to find success and stability outside of the justice system, through education. [Mike Jackson / The Journal Record]
Opinion: We were formerly incarcerated, now serve on DOC board and see change happening: As individuals who collectively have spent over 12 years incarcerated and now serve on the board for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, we bring unique perspectives to our roles. Initially, we doubted whether our backgrounds would be accepted, but God opened these doors, and we’re grateful we didn’t let insecurities about worthiness or others’ perceptions hold us back. [Rhonda Bear and Joseph Brantley / Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma economist: Broad tariffs will cost ‘everybody’: Sweeping tariffs being implemented by the Trump administration are going to be damaging to the economy, Oklahoma State University economics professor Dan Rickman said Wednesday. “If this is sustained, it’s going to be very costly for everybody,” Rickman said. “Broadly speaking, everybody loses.” Economists who rarely agree all are forecasting the new tariffs will slow job growth, increase prices and unemployment, and stall interest rate reductions, he said. [The Journal Record]
US farmers face higher costs, fewer markets from tariffs, farm groups warn: U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China threaten to hurt the $191 billion American agricultural export sector and raise costs for farmers struggling with low crop prices, farm groups have warned. [Reuters]
Opinion: Trump’s reliance on a 1977 act for tariffs presents some challenges: Trump’s executive orders dealing with tariffs, and especially his reliance in some on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, raises three interesting questions. [Rex J. Zedalis / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Influential factory farm industry presents a massive challenge to safety of Oklahomans, animals: The corporatized approach to our food system has resulted in its domination of all aspects of production and sales, yet operators are often granted protections to escape responsibility for the damages they cause. Despite a heavy environmental impact, industrial animal agriculture is largely exempted from federal and state air and water pollution regulations that apply to other major industries. [Mike Altshuler / Oklahoma Voice]
Community News
An OK church left their history and United Methodist Church behind. It transformed their spiritual journey: Waurika United Methodist Church members’ ability to determine for themselves the best use of their tithes and offerings was the main reason the church’s members walked away from the United Methodist denomination — and their church building and other assets — at the end of December 2024. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Ponca City Settles Open Records Case [Oklahoma Watch]
- Bryan County voters reject ambulance sales tax [KTEN]
- Oklahoma City neighborhood gathers to voice opposition to scrapyard development [The Oklahoman]
- City of Tulsa on the hook for nearly $5 million to resolve land dispute; bill likely to increase [Tulsa World]
- At least seven EF0-EF1 tornadoes recorded Tuesday in Oklahoma [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“While incarceration serves as a consequence for breaking the law, it doesn’t heal trauma or cure addiction. For some, the experience of coming to prison is enough to spark change, but for many, it isn’t that simple.”
-Rhonda Bear and Joseph Brantley, both formerly incarcerated people who now serve on the Oklahoma Board of Corrections, writing in an op-ed about the perspectives they bring to the board’s operations. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
43
A minimum wage worker in Oklahoma would need to work full time for 43 weeks, or from January to October, just to pay for child care for one infant. [Economic Policy Institute]
Policy Note
Proposed Cuts to SSI Would Hurt Disabled Children and Their Families: Families caring for children with disabilities — especially multiple children with disabilities — often face higher health care costs, more demands on their time, and more financial insecurity than other families. Roughly one-third of families with children receiving SSI already live below the poverty line; Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits help them afford basic needs like food and housing as well as disability-related expenses like therapies or home modifications, which health insurance often doesn’t cover. The proposed cuts would make it even harder for these families to make ends meet. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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