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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: #OKLeg leaders urge fiscal caution; will they heed economic warnings?: As Oklahoma lawmakers approach this session’s midway point, legislative leaders are urging caution when considering the impacts of tax cuts. With the state’s reliance on federal funding and signs of a national economic downturn, a strategic and targeted approach is more vital than ever. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
Revised OSDE social studies standards tell students to ‘identify discrepancies in 2020 election results’: As Oklahoma legislators mull what action to take — if any — on revised academic standards for social studies approved by the State Board of Education in February, a quiet change from the initial version of the standards put forward for public comment now directs teachers and students toward widely debunked theories of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. [NonDoc]
State Government News
Stitt says DOGE-OK already has saved Oklahoma taxpayers more than $1 million: Stitt said DOGE-OK held its first meeting with state agencies on Wednesday. During his weekly press conference, Stitt rattled off a list of savings he said have been reported. [The Oklahoman]
Judicial Nominating Commission sends 3 Supreme Court candidates to Stitt: Oklahoma’s Judicial Nominating Commission announced the selection of Donna Lynn Dirickson, Travis Verl Jett and Jon Keith Parsley as the three candidates to send to Gov. Kevin Stitt for appointment to the Supreme Court. [NonDoc]
Ryan Walters’ Bible mandate blocked, but legal battle continues: Despite bipartisan opposition and a legal roadblock, Oklahoma’s State Superintendent continues his fight to insert religion into public schools, testing the limits of church-state separation. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Bill to incentivize professional women’s sports in Oklahoma narrowly advances: A bill that would put women’s professional sports on equal footing with men’s teams in accessing state funding opportunities on Wednesday narrowly secured Senate approval. [Oklahoma Voice]
Bill headed to Senate seeks to clarify penalties for stealing Oklahoma shopping carts: House lawmakers on Wednesday advanced legislation that would specifically criminalize the removal of shopping carts from businesses, a move that critics said targets homeless Oklahomans. [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: Okla-homeless: Jail Time Is Not a Solution (Video)
Federal Government News
Oklahoma among states hit by USDA school meal cuts: Oklahoma schools will see cuts to their meal programs as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reduces funding that had expanded during the pandemic. The cuts will impact thousands of students who rely on free or low-cost meals. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Stitt supports Trump in slashing federal spending: Gov. Kevin Stitt said Wednesday that he supports the Trump administration in its efforts to cut the federal workforce and drastically reduce government spending, though they may be jarring or even life-altering for some Oklahomans. [Tulsa World]
- ‘I want a seat at the table”: Gov. Kevin Stitt talks federal, state budgets and department cuts (Video) [The Oklahoman]
State officials wait and see how layoffs at federal education agency will affect Oklahoma: Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education will provide flexibility to states regarding education spending, Gov. Kevin Stitt said the day after an announcement that roughly half of the federal agency’s workforce will be cut by President Donald Trump’s administration. [The Oklahoman]
National Weather Center in Norman bracing as more NOAA layoffs announced: Employees at the National Weather Center in Norman said Wednesday they had not been notified of layoffs at the facility, despite national news that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was laying off more than 1,000 workers. [The Oklahoman]
Decades-old conservation programs in Oklahoma put on hold with federal funding freeze: Unpaid grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and uncertainty around funding forced the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) to halt some of its work. [KOSU]
Trump is backing away from police reform. Here’s what that means for 12 cities: The administration appears set to end federal oversight of police, including agencies that have committed systemic civil rights violations. [The Frontier]
Tom Cole scores major win as House passes stopgap spending bill: The Oklahoma Congressman has become one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington. This week, he used his influence to press the Freedom Caucus to support the bill. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Opinion: Federal cuts threaten SoonerCare, which covers 1 in 4 Oklahomans: Our Gov. Kevin Stitt is correctly concerned about cuts to Medicaid- SoonerCare. Congress is going to cut money to the program, then dump the tough decisions about who loses coverage to the state. [S. Bennett Goldman / The Oklahoman]
Editorial: Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s comment about Americans facing ‘hurt’ not sitting well: Recently, Sen. Markwayne Mullin told CNN that Americans are willing to suffer higher prices due to tariffs to support President Donald Trump’s policies. A Tulsa World Facebook post with that quote was shared more than 2,500 times with thousands of comments, most not favorable. The overall sentiment indicates that Mullin is out of touch with the challenges Oklahomans are facing. [Tulsa World Editorial Board]
Voting and Election News
Bill seeking to include Oklahoma school board elections on partisan November ballots advances: The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would move school board elections to November, despite concerns it would make races partisan and increase the costs for candidates to run. [Oklahoma Voice]
OKC Ward 7: Pennington, Pettis clash on jail funding, housing during debate: While disagreeing on priorities for the city’s housing authority, OKC City Council Ward 7 candidates Camal Pennington and John Pettis Jr. clashed in a debate Tuesday over mental health care inside the Oklahoma County Jail, as well as the city’s proper role in solving the financial problems plaguing the facility. [NonDoc]
Education News
School leaders celebrate ‘success’ of private school tax credits, governor pushes for expansion: The program has faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks amid reports that just over 45% of tax credit’s spring semester recipients were from households that earned more than $150,000 a year, according to a January analysis by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. More than a quarter of participating households earned over $250,000 a year, the program’s highest income bracket. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Related: Opinion: Taxpayers were sold a load of bull about a school program that benefits wealthiest Oklahomans [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma City Public Schools Board reviews graduation rates, student opportunities after low report card grade: Oklahoma City Public Schools is close to moving up a letter grade in postsecondary opportunities as nearly half of the district’s juniors and seniors have completed one or more courses to prepare them for life after high school. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: We shouldn’t hit disabled school children. Corporal punishment only hurts.: In 2025, it is unacceptable that we are still debating whether children with disabilities should be subjected to corporal punishment in Oklahoma schools. [Sarah Soell /The Oklahoman]
Health News
Opinion: Here’s how to fix the broken health care system driving up cancer costs: Did you know that cancer patients in Oklahoma are likely paying six times more for life-saving medications at hospital-owned facilities than at independent clinics? This is due to a federal program that was meant to help underserved patients afford life-saving medications. [Kathy Oubre / Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Megachurch founder, former Trump spiritual advisor indicted in Oklahoma for alleged child sex abuse: 63-year old Robert Preston Morris was indicted by a multi-county grand jury in Oklahoma on Wednesday for alleged sexual misconduct against Oklahoma woman Cindy Clemishire beginning in 1982 when she was 12 years old, and he was a traveling evangelist. [KGOU]
Former Oklahoma police officer sentenced to 40 years for sexual assault: A former Savanna, Oklahoma, police officer was sentenced this week to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop after turning off his body-worn camera and dashboard camera to avoid recording the assault. [The Oklahoman]
Bill named for Welch girls case passes House vote: House Bill 1001, approved in a 76-to-11 floor vote Wednesday, would prevent people who are convicted of accessory to murder from being eligible for parole until they have served at least 85% of their prison sentences. [Tulsa World]
- ‘Lauria and Ashley Law’ adds harsher penalty for ‘accessory’ to murder [KFOR]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
New rules, rising costs are putting some Oklahoma child care providers in peril: New Oklahoma Human Services rules approved this year require non-accredited five-star programs to provide proof of an accreditation application submission by April 10 and get nationally accredited by Sept. 1 — or face a star reduction tied to their reimbursements. [KGOU]
Human Rights Commission to host tenants’ rights training in OKC: The Oklahoma City Human Rights Commission says renters, landlords and the community are all invited to attend the “Know Your Rights Training for Tenants” event later this month. The informational session will focus on key housing issues impacting renters. [News 9]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma experts: Market uncertainty fuels stock drop: All major indexes have dropped below pre-election levels, and Oklahoma-based economy experts attribute the state of U.S. stocks to uncertainty around tariffs. [The Journal Record]
Forced Housing, Hidden Kickbacks: How Stay-to-Play Squeezes Sports Parents: The deal is taking place all over the country, in volleyball and softball and hockey and soccer: Travel to our tournament and, unless you stay in one of our partner hotels, your kid doesn’t play. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion: There’s a little-known law that’s helping to keep grocery prices high in Oklahoma: This little-known law requires all retailers in the state to presume a “proportionate part of the cost of doing business” of 6% added to their costs. Essentially, this means that every business in Oklahoma is allowed to mark up the cost of their goods by 6%, meaning you are paying an artificially mandated mark up on groceries that is higher than the state sales tax was. [James Davenport and Samantha Johnson / Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Thriving agriculture industry requires STEM workforce: Just as with industries like aviation, healthcare and biotechnology, a workforce with the necessary training and experience has been key to growth and modernization of the agriculture industry. [Ruth Ray Jackson / The Journal Record]
Local Headlines
- How Tulsa remote helped Alana Mbanza Empower women with MS [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Cox Convention Center demolition to start by April; memories to be preserved [The Oklahoman]
- Event to discuss history, legacy of once thriving Black community Walnut Grove is set [The Oklahoman]
- Edmond greenlights $3.18M TIF for townhouse project [The Journal Record]
- Google will operate massive data center development in Stillwater [KGOU]
Quote of the Day
“This is not a problem of cartels running shopping cart rings. We’re talking about impoverished people taking carts to either carry all of the belongings that they own because they are experiencing homelessness or to get their items from one place to another. … As someone who has spent a significant amount of their life in poverty, or close to it, and knowing that many of our constituents are much closer to homelessness than wealth, I greatly encourage a ‘no’ vote on this bill.”
– Rep. Michelle McCane (Tulsa), criticizing HB 1689, which would make possessing or removing a shopping cart from the parking area of a retail establishment illegal and is intended to target unhoused Oklahomans. It is already illegal to steal property in Oklahoma, but HB 1689 would create a misdemeanor penalty, which carries fines and jail time. [Oklahoma Voice]
Number of the Day
82%
Out of the nearly 320,000 Oklahomans who would be directly and indirectly affected by raising the state’s minimum wage to $15, nearly 82 percent are adults aged 20 or older. [OK Policy]
Policy Note
The macroeconomics of the Trump administration: We sketch out the macroeconomic dangers posed by each of the administration’s big policy initiatives so far, and end with an assessment of where this leaves the U.S. economy. The best outcome that could result from continuing these policies would be avoiding a recession but still sharply reducing growth and creating an U.S. economy that is significantly poorer than it would have otherwise been. The most likely outcome, however, is a recession in the coming year. [Economic Policy Institute]
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