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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.
State Government News
Governor’s DOGE-OK initiative takes shape ahead of reporting deadline: Oklahoma agencies must appoint a coordinator for Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Oklahoma Division of Government Efficiency “as soon as possible,” according to an internal email dated Thursday. [The Frontier]
LOFT report uncovers outdated complaints and revenue discrepancies at Ethics Commission: On Thursday, a LOFT (Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency) report about Oklahoma’s Ethics Commission was released. The report revealed poor record keeping, as well as a misguided focus and a loss of sight of the original mission of the state agency. [Fox 25]
Republican lawmakers push to reform Oklahoma’s top judicial selection process: Republican lawmakers want to change Oklahoma’s top judge appointment process. Measures to accomplish that include replacing the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission with a new method modeled after the federal government’s. [KOSU]
Senate Bill 186 hopes to help with Oklahoma teacher shortage: The Oklahoma State Senate Education committee voted 8 to 1 to pass Senate Bill 186 which addresses the state’s ongoing certified teacher shortage. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Republican lawmakers ask for more transparency at OSDE: A new legislative push was approved by committee on Thursday that would bring more transparency to the State Department of Education. [KFOR]
- Lawmakers push for increased transparency in OSDE spending [News 9]
Oklahoma Senate Bill Proposes Extending Eviction Notice Period to Aid Residents: Oklahoma might be on a path to providing its residents with more time to respond to eviction notices. Senate Bill 128 aims to address the state’s eviction timeline, which currently stands as one of the shortest in the nation. [Hoodline]
Oklahoma House approves bill to stop higher 2021 winter storm rates: A bill seeking to protect utility customers from paying higher rates because of 2021’s Winter Storm Uri unanimously passed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Tuesday. [OK Energy Today]
Bill would allow third-party delivery of alcohol to Oklahomans: A bill moving through the Legislature would allow Uber, DoorDash and other third parties to deliver alcohol to their customers for the first time. [Oklahoma Voice]
GRDA reverses course, agrees to give flooding study files to federal regulators: After initially refusing to do so, the Grand River Dam Authority on Wednesday said it would give federal regulators supporting documents it used to study flooding around the northeastern Oklahoma town of Miami. [The Frontier]
Round up: Keith Stitt to seek SCOTUS appeal, Fugate filing flung, Catholic case brews: In this legal roundup, find updates on cases involving municipal jurisdiction over tribal citizens, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, the Corporation Commission, the Judicial Nominating Commission and more. [NonDoc]
Opinion, This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Drummond versus Walters, new social studies standards, TPS audit and more (audio): The panel discusses Attorney General Gentner Drummond criticizing State Superintendent Ryan Walters over an opinion request, the State Board of Education voting in favor of new controversial social studies standards, and a scathing audit against Tulsa Public Schools. [KOSU]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s ‘dirty political laundry’ on full display as U.S. Supreme Court takes interest in state: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear 65 cases and has scheduled 41 for argument. Despite a smaller docket, the Great State of Oklahoma surprisingly looms large this term with three cases on the docket. [Emily Stacey & Christine Pappas / Oklahoma Voice]
Editorial: Don’t make it easier for political ideologues to manipulate Oklahoma’s courts: For lawmakers frustrated by those so-called pesky activist judges who rule against their unconstitutional bills, the easy fix is to stop passing unconstitutional bills. Yet their bad idea to politicize Oklahoma’s court system just won’t go away. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Federal Government News
Sen. James Lankford challenged some federal office closings in Oklahoma: Speaking from his office in Washington, D.C., Lankford said he’s trying to find “fact from fiction” on the federal Department of Government Efficiency’s terminated office leases in Oklahoma, and also challenging some of the closings as well and having the ability to say, “Hey, this is not an office that can just close.” [The Oklahoman]
- Lankford weighs in on DOGE, voicing concerns on certain actions [KFOR]
- Rep. Bice: “I’m going to do everything I can” to make sure OKC federal building stays open [Fox 25]
How much could cuts to VA affect Oklahoma?: Many Oklahomans are wondering about major cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and how it will impact them. [KOCO]
President Trump preps executive order to dismantle Education Department: A preliminary executive order prepared for President Donald Trump seeks to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education to “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law,” according to a draft reviewed by USA TODAY. [USA Today]
Opinion: The Trump administration’s haphazard approach to cost-cutting makes no sense: The overall haphazard firing approach is likely to lead to wrongful termination suits, possibly in the form of massive class actions, not to mention unemployment costs. [Ron Stratton / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: America wanted Churchill, but we ended up with Chamberlain: If anyone wonders where we are in history, it would be at the September 1938 Munich Agreement. That’s when an appeasement policy gave away the largely ethnic German portion of Czechoslovakia known as Sudetenland to Nazi Germany as a way to broker peace. The peace held for only six months. Rarely are homicidal dictators who are bent on world domination appeased. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Russia has ‘lethal model’ of cyberterrorism, says U.S. Sen. Lankford: The aftermath of a cyberattack comes with more anxiety than just the annoyance of losing all computer files and communication ability. It’s a stress of wondering what personal information might end up on the dark web or accessible public sites. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Editorial: Trump administration wrong to ease up on cyberoperations against Russia: Among the coziness the Trump administration is showing Russia, this past week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive operations against the country, known to be attacking U.S. companies and institutions for years. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
City of Tulsa wins another tribal jurisdiction appeal in Keith Stitt’s case: The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled again Thursday in a 4-1 decision that the city of Tulsa can exercise criminal jurisdiction over tribal members who commit minor offenses in Indian Country, even if the defendant is the governor’s brother. [Tulsa World]
- Gov. Stitt’s brother loses appeal of $250 speeding ticket in McGirt-related case [The Oklahoman]
Northeastern Oklahoma prosecutors file motion of dismissal over DOJ lawsuit: Northeast Oklahoma District Attorneys Matthew Ballard (District 12) and Carol Iski (District 25) have filed parallel motions of dismissal for a lawsuit filed against them from the Department of Justice. The initial lawsuit, filed last December, accused the prosecutors of improperly filing a total of seven cases involving Native American defendants, violating the precedent set by the McGirt v. Oklahoma decision. [KOSU]
Removal of Osage County wind farm paused: A decade-long legal battle over an Osage County wind farm has taken another turn. The wind farm has been at the center of a legal battle for over a decade. But everything seemed to be resolved last year. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Bill increasing ballot petition requirements is ripe for legal challenge, opponents say: An Oklahoma Senator’s bill would put additional guardrails on the state’s initiative petition process. Senate Bill 1027 establishes that no more than 10% of the total number of signatures to get an initiative petition on the ballot come from any one county with more than 400,000 residents. It also requires 4% or less from counties with populations less than 400,000. [The Journal Record]
- From OK Policy: Initiative petition process is vital to Oklahoma’s democracy: Lawmakers should keep it accessible
Voters approve school bonds, fire department expansion in special elections: Voters in several Oklahoma communities approved school bond packages, a fire department expansion, and advanced a Republican Senate District 8 race to a runoff in Tuesday’s special elections. [News 9]
Education News
Oklahoma State University leaders pledge ‘transparency’ after scathing audit finds misappropriation: A day after a critical audit of Oklahoma State University was made public, the university refused to answer questions on if it had prompted the sudden February resignation of the university’s president. The audit found millions of dollars that were intended for specific programs instead went to unrelated funds, and OSU leaders understated the amount of money the university had in its budget. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Internal audit finds ‘significant issues’ in how OSU spent appropriated money [The Oklahoman]
- Kayse Shrum disputes OSU audit conclusions, says no laws broken or money missing [Tulsa World]
- ‘Are we concerned? Yes’: Lawmakers react to audit uncovering financial missteps at OSU [Fox 25]
Oklahoma public schools leader questions state test results, calls for new scoring: Oklahoma’s top education official has called into question the integrity of the state’s test scores for reading and math, seven months after his administration released students’ test results to families and three months after including the scores in report cards of school performance. [Oklahoma Voice]
Ryan Walters to speak at Glenpool event hosted by group seeking Christian government: State Superintendent Ryan Walters was scheduled to speak Thursday night in Glenpool for a group that believes they are “anointed” by God to run government. The City Elders describe themselves as a group with “the mission of governing the gates of every city in America to establish the Kingdom of God with strength, honor, and courage.” [Public Radio Tulsa]
Ryan Walters working with country singer Lee Greenwood to encourage Bible donations for schools: State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters said Thursday he’s partnering with country music artist Lee Greenwood on a nationwide campaign to encourage donations of Bibles to Oklahoma classrooms. [The Oklahoman]
- Ryan Walters and OSDE partner with Lee Greenwood to put Bibles in Oklahoma schools [KOCO]
Education Watch: Bill Will Allow Board of Education Members to Add Agenda Items: Legislation backed by the governor and leaders of the House and Senate would give Board of Education members the power to add items to meeting agendas. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion: I’m a former high school teacher. We need DEI, but discourse must center on civility: I fear that the inability for us adults in the room to practice civility is penalizing our kids. I’ve observed that most Oklahomans do not understand critical race theory (CRT) or Oklahoma’s House Bill 1775. I don’t mean that as a slight ― misinformation thrives in an age of information overload. [K. John Lee / The Oklahoman]
Opinion, Sen. Carri Hicks: Oklahoma prioritizes school choice at the cost of community, public education: There’s a perception among some Oklahomans that our schools are failing, and they want to know whose fault it is ― and depending on whom you ask, you’ll hear an unending list of reasons, explanations and blame. But the more pressing question is: When did we abandon our constitutional commitment to providing every child with a high-quality, free public education? Our schools, especially the hard-working professional educators who dedicate themselves to creating better futures for our children, are not failing. Oklahoma’s diminishing commitment to public education, however, is failing our schools. Badly. [Sen. Carri Hicks / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt calls for state input on potential Medicaid funding cuts: As U.S House Republicans mull over budget cuts, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said the proposed slash to Medicaid dollars would impact state funds, rural hospitals and health care service providers. [The Oklahoman]
- Stitt, Colorado governor issue statement on potential Medicaid cuts [KFOR]
Dozens of Oklahoma hospitals are at risk. Managed Medicaid has kept them afloat: Data shows 23 rural hospitals in Oklahoma are at immediate risk of closing, according to a report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. [KOCO]
What to know about the measles outbreak, the measles vaccine and prevention: With measles currently having a resurgence in West Texas and popping up in other parts of the country, it is important to stay up to date on vaccinations and records to protect yourself from the measles virus. [The Oklahoman]
Happy Pads: Black women-owned brand fights toxins in menstrual products: The hidden dangers in menstrual products and how Black entrepreneurs are leading the fight for safer alternatives. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Criminal Justice News
Inmate found unresponsive at Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center, pronounced dead: A 43-year-old man was found unresponsive at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City early Thursday morning. Chad Reed was found around 1:25 a.m. and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. [Fox 25]
Opinion: Reports of child abuse are on the rise in Oklahoma. We can do more to help: During the pandemic, child abuse did not stop, but reporting did. Schools, day cares and after-school programs — where trusted adults often notice signs of abuse — were closed or operated remotely. Teachers, counselors and coaches are among the most common reporters of abuse, and without regular face-to-face interactions, many cases went unidentified. [Ryan Brown and Rebecca Craig / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Oklahoma imprisons domestic violence survivors for their abuser’s behavior: There are many misconceptions about domestic abuse survivors. I’ve often heard people say that if the situation were truly so dire, the survivor should have left. Others believe that reasoning with an abuser can ensure a person’s safety. Some even believe that an abuser can still be a good parent, as long as they harm only the mother and not the children. The myths are endless, but reality is different. I know this because I lived it. [Tondalao Hall / The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Tulsa struggles with shelter space during frigid weather, coordinators warn: Tulsa’s homelessness advisor says the past two winter storms point to the need for an emergency shelter in the city. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Economy & Business News
Tariffs expected to increase import prices 9.6% in Oklahoma region, economist says: Business supply managers in Oklahoma and regional states expect tariffs to increase import prices of goods by nearly 10%, a regional economist said. [Tulsa World]
Community News
Ukrainians in Oklahoma, supporters to hold peace rally at Scissortail Park. ‘I cannot be indifferent’: Ukrainians in Oklahoma haven’t given up hope that Zelenskyy and U.S. leaders might come to see eye to eye. They are asking the Oklahoma Ukrainian community and others who support Ukraine to gather for a Sooners Hope for Ukraine Rally set for Saturday afternoon at Scissortail Park. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Jesus advocated peace and love, but also nonviolent political resistance: At first glance, it seems that Jesus asking us to love your enemies is calling us to be pushovers, to give into the bullies and the tyrants. But understood in his socio-historical context, Jesus is coaching his followers in nonviolent political resistance. [Rev. Lori Walke / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa Mayor finalizes staff with Dr. Jabraan Pasha and Brentom Todd [The Black Wall Street Times]
Quote of the Day
“What message do we send when we encourage families to walk away from their local schools? Are we teaching our children that education is something to be consumed rather than invested in? Is the lesson that when challenges arise, we just leave instead of working together to solve problems?”
-Sen. Carri Hicks of Oklahoma City, writing in an op-ed about how Oklahoma’s decisions to expand charter schools, increase school vouchers, and prioritize privatization efforts have weakened community ties. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
$1,500
President Trump’s original proposal — including both his proposed tax cuts and a higher 60 percent tariff on goods imported from China — would increase costs by over $1,500 a year for middle-income Americans (households earning between $55,000 and $94,000 a year) while cutting taxes by over $36,000 for the richest one percent, with income over $914,000. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
Policy Note
Domestic workers’ pay and working conditions in the South reflect racist, gendered notions of care: Despite the essential nature of domestic care work, these occupations are characterized by low pay and poor working conditions and are highly racialized and gendered, especially in the South. Domestic workers today and the conditions they face are deeply connected to the gendered and racist history of care work and the intersecting identities of the women and people of color performing these duties. [Economic Policy Institute]
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