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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
Oklahoma’s families face the nation’s 6th highest poverty rate. Raising the minimum wage will help change that.: Almost one in six Oklahomans live in poverty, yet for 15 years, Oklahoma lawmakers have failed to raise the minimum wage and give families the tools that they need to become more economically secure. Since 2009, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of the minimum wage by more than a quarter while the cost of living has continued to increase. This means Oklahoma families are struggling to make rent, put food on the table, and provide economic security for their children. [Gabriella Ramirez-Perez / OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
Familiar dark money group with Stitt ties behind pro-Stitt tax cuts ad: A dark money group with deep ties to Governor Kevin Stitt, and a history of backing his agenda, has launched a new ad campaign for his tax cut plan, just weeks after Stitt abruptly distanced himself from State Superintendent Ryan Walters following the group’s leader raising his own concerns over Walters. [KFOR]
‘Going to have to have it’: Real ID deadline is two months out: Oklahoma’s transportation officials are urging Oklahomans with summer travel plans to make sure they have their Real ID before an upcoming May deadline. The federal government has set a May 7, 2025, deadline to get a Real ID for Americans who want to fly domestically, visit a federal building, or a military base. [KFOR]
State Government News
Senate leader cautiously ‘on board’ with income tax cut plan: Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton is “100 percent on board” with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s proposed half-percent income tax cut – but it’s a cautious 100 percent. Paxton told The Frontier that recent Board of Equalization figures, which show Oklahoma’s budget to be short of expectations following last year’s grocery tax cut, make him wary of the possibility of a return to the state’s budget woes of last decade. [The Frontier]
- Listen Frontier: Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton ‘cautious’ but supportive of income tax cut (audio) [The Frontier]
- From OK Policy: Fact Check: How would the governor’s proposal to cut, eliminate personal income tax affect Oklahoma?
Drummond blasts state’s approach to tribal relations, questions ‘zero income tax’: Oklahoma attorney general and 2026 gubernatorial candidate Gentner Drummond says he’s different from current Gov. Kevin Stitt. That was partly the message delivered to the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma on Monday. Drummond said at the River Spirit Casino event he’d work with tribes as governor. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Ryan Walters warns religious group that red states will turn against Trump: Speaking at a dinner event hosted by a group seeking to install a Christian government, State Superintendent Ryan Walters warned the road ahead may be rocky for Republicans. Walters told a gathering hosted by the City Elders in Glenpool that the country is in the midst of a spiritual war and that Satan is working through “the enemy.” [Public Radio Tulsa]
First round of extensive Oklahoma legislative floor debates, votes start Monday: With key committee deadlines behind Oklahoma’s legislature, state lawmakers are gearing up for the first round of extensive floor debates and votes. Nearly nine hundred measures are moving forward between the two chambers. [KOSU]
- A look at some Oklahoma bills that could be headed to House, Senate floors [KOCO]
Oklahoma Senate panel advances GOP tax reform bills: A series of tax reform bills by GOP senators passed a Senate committee before the first deadline of the legislative session. State Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa and Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, authored the bills to address income tax structure, corporate tax fairness and taxpayer relief mechanisms. [The Journal Record]
GOP lawmakers push to charge women with homicide for seeking abortions: Lawmakers in at least eight states — Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas — have considered bills to go even further, to punish women who seek abortions. [Oklahoma Voice]
Estimated $63M shortfall identified at state mental health agency: Lawmakers may have to find tens of millions of dollars to fill a budget hole revealed by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. [Tulsa World]
Capitol Insider: State officials call for agency audit over budget concerns: The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is under scrutiny as Governor Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders – the Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tem – have called for an audit of the department. They’re concerned about the department’s budget deficit. [KGOU]
Opinion: Your Vote Counts: Vaccines, Medicaid cuts, and the right to a fair trial: This week on Your Vote Counts, our political analysts cover the topics of vaccination, Medicaid cuts, the Glossip case and fair trials, and the race for Superintendent of the Oklahoma Department of Education. [News 9]
Opinion: While Oklahoma lawmakers fight over food dye, 1 in 4 of the children they serve go hungry: Food fights represent low-hanging fruit for our legislators and are a way to signal we’re paying attention to our agricultural industries, which hold huge political sway in our Capitol. If only the Legislature would reach a little higher. Rather than spending so much time fighting over what to put in our bodies, they should focus on the fact that hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans are struggling to find any food to put in their bodies. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Watch]
Federal Government News
Public lunch with Rep. Hern cancelled due to ‘activists’: A scheduled Tulsa lunch with Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District was cancelled Friday due to “more than 100 activists” signing up to attend.[Public Radio Tulsa]
- Congressman Josh Brecheen ‘committed to town halls’ amid Speaker’s call to stop them [KJRH]
Lankford, Cole fight DOGE’s call to close National Weather Center, U.S. Attorneys office: For weeks now, the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has dribbled out information that showed it wanted to close federal facilities and lay off government employees across the nation. [The Oklahoman]
- Cole: Some Oklahoma facilities including National Weather Center, spared from DOGE closings; others still have concerns [KFOR]
Could Medicaid face cuts? What Oklahomans should know: No reductions to Medicaid have been announced, but concerns remain about potential impacts on millions of Americans who rely on the program. [News 9]
Oklahoma scientists, advocates rally for science funding and federal workers: More than 150 people combined gathered simultaneously outside of the Oklahoma State Capitol and the National Weather Center in Norman. The rallies were part of the nationwide Stand Up For Science walkouts and rallies that took place March 7. Thousands of people showed up across the U.S. in response to deep budget cuts to federal science research and layoffs. [KGOU]
The Republican governor leading states’ response to Trump: Gov. Stitt is playing a key role as the Republican leader of the governors’ group that convened in Washington last month. As Stitt takes on the role of communicating on behalf of states to a Republican-led federal government, we asked him to share his thoughts about how these conversations are going. [The Washington Post]
- Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt calls for state input on potential Medicaid funding cuts [The Oklahoman]
D.C. Digest: Lankford says looming shutdown would be an embarrassment: With everything else going on in Washington, Congress has until midnight Friday to avoid a partial shutdown of the federal government. The House is expected to consider a continuing resolution Tuesday that would maintain current funding through the end of September, but passage in the narrowly divided chamber is far from certain. [Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Tribal leaders brace for more hits to Indian Country from Trump administration: Tribal nations across Oklahoma are feeling pressure from grant freezes, budget cuts and layoffs by the federal government in the early days of the Trump administration. The uncertainty and snap changes are creating stress. At an Oklahoma State University panel for the school’s 2025 Tribal Summit, some leaders sounded the alarm about the impacts of the administration and its Department of Government Efficiency. [KOSU]
Federal cuts ‘causing us anxiety’ addressed in Osage State of the Nation address: During the Osage Nation’s annual Sovereignty Celebration in observance of the ratification of its current constitution, Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said that while the tribe’s programs are properly funded and its businesses are doing well, its relationship with the federal government has become more complicated of late. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
Bill that dramatically changes initiative, referendum process clears Senate committee: A bill that would make dramatic changes to the state’s initiative and referendum process cleared a Senate committee last week and is expected to be heard by the full Senate soon. [The Oklahoman]
- Bill would make it more difficult for Oklahomans to get issues on the ballot, critics say [Oklahoma Voice]
- Legislature Weighs Recall Election Bill [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: Initiative petition process is vital to Oklahoma’s democracy: Lawmakers should keep it accessible
Former TPS board member announces state superintendent candidacy: A former Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education member has declared his candidacy for state superintendent. Jerry Griffin announced late Thursday that he will run for state superintendent of public instruction in 2026. [Tulsa World]
Education News
Regent Jennifer Callahan reveals audit origin, timeline of OSU complaints, concerns: A member of the Oklahoma State University governing board with 25 years of legal experience in corporate and nonprofit governance pushed back today against claims by recently resigned OSU executives that an audit alleging improper uses of state funding was “not accurate.” [NonDoc]
- Without launching search for next president, OSU governing board discusses scathing audit [Oklahoma Watch]
- Regent says employee tip led to internal OSU audit that showed alleged misspending [The Oklahoman]
- OSU regent stands by audit she sought that led to president’s resignation [Tulsa World]
- OSU Regents address $41M audit fallout, approve key spending measures [KOSU]
Gov. Kevin Stitt champions school choice at inaugural Oklahoma Charter Schools Conference: Dozens of Oklahoma charter schools stakeholders heard Gov. Kevin Stitt during a conference on Friday champion school choice and emphasize the role quality education plays in the state’s economic success. [The Oklahoman]
Why did Ryan Walters ask state for Bible funding when donation option was available?: Many lawmakers, including Gov. Kevin Stitt, asked why the state should pay for the Bibles if students could download it for free on their phone or other devices. [KOCO]
Rural Oklahoma school resists effort to place Bibles in public school classrooms (video): Oklahoma’s top education official, Ryan Walters, is distributing Trump-endorsed Bibles to AP Government classrooms, despite state lawmakers blocking funding. In response, he is seeking donations to expand the effort, but some school leaders are quietly pushing back. One high school principal stated the most he would do is make occasional references to the Bible in class. [NBC News]
Langston, UCO receive new research designation from national group: A change in the way two national organizations recognize the research done at universities has resulted in two Oklahoma schools receiving a prestigious designation. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: The Urgent Supreme Court Case That’s Not Getting Enough Attention: While the country holds its breath for the Supreme Court’s responses to the Trump administration’s serial depredations, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Nonetheless, a case set for argument next month before the court merits more attention than the little it has received, given its destabilizing potential for public education. The central question is whether a state that allows charter schools as alternatives to traditional public schools, as nearly all states do, must agree to fund those that are explicitly religious. [Linda Greenhouse / New York Times]
Health News
Texas measles outbreak grows, but Oklahoma still reports no cases: Measles cases in Texas continue to rise, just shy of 200 cases. While Oklahoma has yet to see a positive measles virus case, the virus is still just across Oklahoma’s borders. [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Judge OKs adult charges for Sperry teens: A judge ruled Friday that three Sperry students accused of first-degree rape by instrumentation may be charged as adults, reversing a previous ruling supporting their status as youth in the justice system. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Judge reinstates adult charges against three Sperry football players [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Disabled and Evicted, Oklahoma Tenant Buys Time with Appeal: In Oklahoma, one of the most landlord-friendly states in the country, eviction appeals are rare. Usually, judge’s orders go unchallenged, and tenants are given as little as 72 hours to vacate unless they negotiate more time. When tenants do appeal, affordable legal assistance can be hard to find. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: Providing legal representation could begin to fix Oklahoma’s broken eviction process
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma small businesses face economic uncertainty: Uncertainty about the economic and political environment is weighing heavily on small business owners in Oklahoma and across the nation. A survey conducted in January showed the top three concerns for 2025 among independent retailers in Oklahoma are tariffs and cost of goods, supply chain disruptions and online competition. [The Journal Record]
Trump tariffs: Will fresh produce be the next luxury item?: Upcoming tariffs from the current administration are certain to be felt at the grocery store, begging the question: will access to fresh produce be considered a luxury? [The Black Wall Street Times]
Opinion: Tulsa’s tech future depends on inclusive Computer Science education: Tulsa is on the verge of a technological transformation. As a federally designated tech hub and a key player in the American Heartland tech initiative, the city is positioning itself as a leader in innovation. But for this progress to be both sustainable and equitable, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) must be at the forefront of computer science education. [Mikeal Vaughn / The Black Wall Street Times]
Community News
‘Queer Night’ offers community at tumultuous time: A group of Tulsans want to maintain a safe space for LGBT+ folks. Irissa Baxter-Luper has been pioneering a new community space called Queer Night in the wake of the 2024 Nex Benedict tragedy. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Hazel M. Johnson: The trailblazing mother of environmental justice: Celebrating the legacy of the “Mother of Environmental Justice,” whose groundbreaking work has helped transform communities nationwide. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Oklahomans from Ukraine weigh in on home country’s spat with Trump administration: A couple living in Oklahoma from Ukraine says they’re concerned about a recent souring relationship between their home country and President Donald Trump’s administration. [KFOR]
Local Headlines
- Three to pitch to city plans for downtown Tulsa convention headquarters hotel [Tulsa World]
- Consultant to assess Tulsa’s dispatch system [Public Radio Tulsa]
- No easy pavement plan: How bad are Edmond streets? How good? Can the city shoulder fixes? [The Oklahoman]
- Four youth centers were recommended under MAPS 4. Where will they be built? [The Oklahoman]
- After confronting student about name calling, Edmond city attorney disciplined by EPS [NonDoc]
Quote of the Day
“(The) vote to advance SB 1027 is a disappointing step backward for democracy in Oklahoma. By making it harder for citizens to bring issues to the ballot, lawmakers are silencing the voices of everyday Oklahomans and limiting public participation in policymaking. The right to petition is fundamental to our state’s history and this bill adds unnecessary barriers that will make it nearly impossible for grassroots efforts to succeed.”
-Margaret Kobos, founder of Oklahoma United, commenting on a bill moving through the Oklahoma Legislature that would make it harder for citizens to put questions up for a statewide vote. [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: Initiative petition process is vital to Oklahoma’s democracy: Lawmakers should keep it accessible
Number of the Day
56.2%
Pushmataha County had the state’s highest coverage rate for children who use Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Medicaid for kids) for health care. Medicaid remains a dominant source of coverage for children in rural areas. [Georgetown Center for Children and Families]
Policy Note
Cutting Medicaid to pay for low taxes on the rich is a terrible trade for American families: Keeping taxes low for the richest households and corporations is the clearest legislative priority of the Trump administration and the Republican congressional majority. Many provisions of the 2017 tax law (often called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act or the TCJA) are expiring this year. Extending these provisions would provide hugely disproportionate benefits to the richest households. [Economic Policy Institute]
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