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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.
Oklahoma News
Oklahomans using ACA health insurance plans could see higher premiums, official warns: Oklahoma’s top insurance official warned that health insurance premiums could see “substantial increases” next year if federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act aren’t extended. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Commissioner warns of increased health insurance costs if enhanced federal subsidies expire [KGOU]
- Oklahoma ACA health insurance costs could rise sharply if federal aid ends, insurance commissioner says [The Oklahoman]
- 300,000 Oklahomans Could See Health Insurance Costs Rise By 65% [Newsweek]
State Government News
Some lawmakers, legal experts questioning bill to restrict state’s initiative petitions: Described by its supporters as a measure that puts guardrails on the state’s initiative petition process and by its opponents as an ugly, unconstitutional piece of legislation. [The Oklahoman]
- Bill Restricting Initiative Petition Campaigns Clears Senate [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: Making the initiative petition process less accessible hurts Oklahoma’s democracy
State lawmakers considering change in Board of Adjustment appeal process: House Bill 1496 is being considered by the state Legislature this year. The measure, which has already been approved by the House, would give municipalities whose city councils don’t hear Board of Adjustment appeals the option to do so. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma Gov. Stitt bans use of Chinese AI tech DeepSeek on state-owned electronic devices: Citing security concerns, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has banned the use of the artificial intelligence product DeepSeek on all state-owned electronic devices. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma bans Chinese AI app DeepSeek on state-owned devices [KGOU]
Bill aimed at tackling Oklahoma’s childcare crisis moves forward: Lawmakers voted to move forward with a bill that could ease the childcare crisis in Oklahoma. It would give companies a tax credit for helping workers with solutions to childcare. [KFOR]
Roundup: Pinnacle Plan ends, but DA blasts DHS; Wes Hilliard charged; Epic drama continues: This roundup will help you get caught up on some things you might have missed, including a $4 million defamation judgment against a failed political candidate, embezzlement charges against a former Oklahoma legislator and both praise and criticism of the Department of Human Services. [NonDoc]
Opinion: Stealing is already a crime. But Oklahoma Republicans want a whole new law for shopping cart theft: In case you were wondering, it is already a crime to steal shopping carts — and any other property that one doesn’t own — but some Republican lawmakers have decided shopping carts are so valuable that they need their own special carve out to specifically protect them from bounders. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Whistleblowers needed! They know the best ways to eliminate government waste: A state version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is coming soon, and Gov. Kevin Stitt has indicated it will involve some degree of thoughtful research and analysis before employees are fired and programs decimated or eliminated. That’s encouraging, but what really needs to happen should come from the inside, not the outside. [William Wertz / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
What Trump’s executive order to close education department might mean for Oklahoma: President Donald Trump ordered his administration this week to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Trump signed the long-anticipated executive order at a ceremony in the White House’s East Room attended by several Republican governors and state education commissioners. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma Leaders React to Trump’s Executive Order to Dissolve the Education Department: Key Facts About the U.S. Department of Education [News 9]
- State leaders meet Trump’s order to dismantle education department with both enthusiasm, worry [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma lawmakers react to Trump’s efforts to dismantle Department of Education [KOSU]
- Opinion, The Oklahoman Readers: Dismantling the US Department of Ed is the only way many will learn how vital it is [Your Voice / The Oklahoman]
A big change for kids with disabilities is underway, Trump says. Critics say it’s against the law: The president said he wants to transfer responsibility for students with disabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services. Many educators, parents, and disability rights advocates worry this plan could end up stripping children with disabilities of legally required educational support and services — and sideline them in an agency that doesn’t have the expertise, staff, or training to properly serve them. [Chalkbeat]
Potential cuts to federal library funding could hurt rural Oklahoma libraries the most: An executive order by President Trump calling for the reduction of a federal agency that awards grants to museums and libraries would affect Oklahoma’s urban and rural libraries differently. Bigger libraries, like the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma County, would be able to weather cuts since they receive more income from property taxes. Rural communities would likely face more challenges. [KOSU]
Trump’s Defense Department tried to erase history of Black soldiers: The Department of Defense removed numerous pages highlighting the contributions of Black, Native, and female service members earlier this week. Controversy arose when a page honoring the legacy of Jackie Robinson was no longer available on the Department’s website. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Tariffs 101: What they are and why they might mean a recession. A TU professor explains: With prolonged tariffs, a University of Tulsa economics professor predicts a recession by the end of the year. He said he’s never had more questions from family and friends than in the past few months since President Donald Trump announced additional tariffs with Canada, Mexico and China. [Tulsa World]
Trump travel ban 2.0 coming as soon as Friday. What countries it will affect: President Donald Trump is expected to ban or severely restrict travel to the United States by citizens of more than a dozen countries, including Iran and Venezuela, as soon as Friday. [USA Today]
Congressman Tom Cole talks DOGE, education, evolving political landscape in exclusive sit-down with News 4: News 4 got Congressman Tom Cole on the record about where he stands on issues surrounding DOGE cuts affecting Oklahoma jobs, cuts to the U.S. Department of Education, and several other topics during an exclusive one-on-one interview Friday. [KFOR]
Immigrant women describe ‘hell on earth’ in ICE detention: Immigrant women say they were held “like animals” in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and subjected to conditions so extreme they feared for their lives. Chained for hours on a prison bus without access to food, water or a toilet. Told by guards to urinate on the floor. Held “like sardines in a jar,” as many as 27 women in a small holding cell. Sleeping on a concrete floor. Getting one three-minute shower over three or four days in custody. [USA Today]
Harold Hamm: The Oil Oligarch Who Wants to Take Us Back to the 1990s: Energy diversification has been great for the country: America’s power plants emit a lot less carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide for every megawatt generated than before, and we’ve reduced our dependence on foreign energy supplies. Yet for the 79-year-old Harold Hamm, whose privately held company is the 13th-largest oil producer in the United States with $2 billion in profits last year, a more competitive marketplace is threatening and ideologically abhorrent. He has taken his fight against renewables national — and made a project out of influencing President Trump. [New York Times]
Tribal Nations News
More than 100 Tulsa cases involving Natives sent to tribes in mayor’s sovereignty push: In an event lasting more than two hours at Tulsa’s municipal court Thursday, members of the Cherokee and Muscogee nations saw charges from assault to speeding shifted to the purview of their tribes. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Voting and Election News
Special election draws four Democratic candidates for House District 71: Competitive Democratic primaries are few and far between in Oklahoma these days, but an exception is the fight for the party’s nomination in the special election to fill the vacancy in Tulsa’s House District 71. [Tulsa World]
Three candidates to appear on GOP primary ballot for Tulsa’s House District 71: Republican voters in state House District 71 will decide from among a longtime Brookside resident and two relative newcomers in an April 1 GOP special primary. [Tulsa World]
Five Republicans contend in Owasso state House special election primary: Five candidates are in the Republican race to fill the vacancy left by incumbent Mark Vancuren’s resignation earlier this year. The winner will be opposed in a special general election by Democrat Amy Hossain. [Tulsa World]
Education notebook: School board elections early walk-in voting begins: Early walk-in voting is Thursday and Friday at county election boards for two Tulsa-area school board seats: Tulsa Tech’s Zone 2 and a runoff for Tulsa Public Schools’ District 3. [Tulsa World]
Education News
Trump’s DOJ signals support for first U.S. religious charter school in Oklahoma: The U.S. Department of Justice has sided with a proposed Catholic charter school and the Oklahoma state governing board that sanctioned it in a case headed to the U.S. Supreme Court next month. [Tulsa World]
Health News
Oklahoma health department launches measles tracking site as four probable cases confirmed: Oklahoma State Department of Health will begin releasing weekly notices of measles cases after the state’s total of confirmed probable cases rose to four this month. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma launches weekly measles situation updates after fourth case announced [Tulsa World]
Norman Regional Board to meet Monday over hospital system’s debt, budget: The board of directors of the Norman Regional Health System will hold a meeting Monday evening to review the system’s financial status and evaluate the possibility of a sale or a partnership with other health care systems. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: I’m pregnant with twins and terrified. Abortion bans affect all of us: A pregnancy is deeply personal and should belong to the woman alone, not lawmakers who often misunderstand or ignore the complexities of reproductive health. [Katie Vandegrift / The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Aging Prison Population Strains Corrections Budget: Nearly one in six Oklahoma prisoners was 55 or older as of Dec. 31, according to Department of Corrections data. While the state has made progress in reducing its overall prison population, this demographic of aging inmates has doubled since 2009 and almost quadrupled since 2000. [Oklahoma Watch]
Diversion Hub expands to Canadian County, helps people navigate criminal justice system: A place that aims to help people navigate the criminal justice system is now open in Canadian County. The Diversion Hub has expanded, offering a location in El Reno. [Fox 25]
‘Now’s the time’: Garfield County residents demand grand jury probe into justice system: Residents of Garfield County are calling for a grand jury investigation into the local criminal justice system, citing concerns over how officials are handling certain cases. [Fox 25]
Supreme Court rules in favor of only woman currently on Oklahoma death row: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of the only woman currently on death row in Oklahoma. The Supreme Court ordered a lower court to review whether death row inmate Brenda Andrew had a fair trial for murdering her husband, Rob Andrew. [Fox 25]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker
Economy & Business News
USDA opens emergency assistance to Oklahoma farmers: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing up to $10 billion in direct economic assistance to producers. The department announced enrollment for the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program opened last week. The payments are to help eligible farmers cope with increased input costs and falling commodity prices for the 2024 crop year. [KGOU]
Number of dispensaries dropped 27% last year; medical marijuana industry ‘balancing out’: According to the most recent annual report of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, the number of licensed dispensaries dropped 27% from 2,852 as of fiscal year 2023 to 2,051 in FY 2024. [Tulsa World]
Opinion, Capitol Insider: Oklahoma economy outpaces federal economic outlook for 2025: Dr. Robert Dauffenbach, professor emeritus at the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma, talks about the state and national economies. [KGOU]
Opinion: Tulsa’s startup ecosystem on track for remarkable growth: The Tulsa region is on the cusp of a new era of innovation and entrepreneurial growth, fueled by a thriving startup ecosystem, robust networks and proven resilience. In 2022, 1,480 new businesses were established in the region, an 8.1% increase from the previous year, surpassing both state and national growth rates. [Ama Abrokwah / Tulsa World]
Community News
Freedom of Information Oklahoma knocks Tulsa police, honors Wagoner County clerk: Police departments across Oklahoma, specifically Tulsa’s, earned Freedom of Information Oklahoma’s Black Hole designation for lack of transparency in the organization’s annual awards. Wagoner County Clerk Lori Hendricks won a Sunshine Award for her proactive approach to public records access. [Tulsa World]
‘Focus: Black Oklahoma’: Latino concerns, harm reduction, Black rights on Native land (audio): This episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma features stories on concerns by Latino community with new immigration policy, the Oklahoma Harm Reduction Alliance’s work to change the perception of harm reduction and a continuation of the podcast “Tribal Justice: The Struggle for Black Rights on Native Land.” [KOSU]
Local Headlines
- Oklahoma County commissioners streamline operations by creating, hiring a county manager [The Oklahoman]
- What’s next for Broadway and Second? Edmond city planners want more data on one of its main entrances [The Oklahoman]
- City of Tulsa contracts with official who helped put together financing for OKC’s Omni Hotel, convention center [Tulsa World]
- Two new big houses on one newly split lot? Not in this Edmond neighborhood, neighbors say [The Oklahoman]
- Proposed ordinance would stop OKC food trucks from doing business in Bricktown after 11 p.m. [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“Our founders feared an overreaching government. That’s why they included the initiative and referendum process in our constitution. It serves as a backstop against the Legislature. It placed legislative authority directly into the hands of the people.”
-Bob Burke, a well-known Oklahoma historian and attorney, talking about the state’s founders lack of trust in politicians. He said they wanted to ensure that Oklahoma residents, themselves, retained power in government. Burke and constitutional experts said a new bill does more harm than good. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
58%
A majority of Americans continue to say taxes should be increased, not decreased, for wealthy households. About six-in-ten (58%) say tax rates on household income over $400,000 should be raised, including 23% who say these tax rates should be raised a lot. Much smaller shares say taxes on higher-income households should be lowered (19%) or kept the same (21%). [Pew Research]
Policy Note
What might happen if the Education Department were closed?: Though entirely eliminating the department requires an act of Congress, Republican lawmakers have offered no protest — some are cheering Trump on — as the administration has cut funding to Education Department grants and programs, laid off hundreds of staff members, and closed offices around the country. Linda McMahon, confirmed as education secretary in March, described her role as guiding the department through its “final mission.” [The Hechinger Report]
- Tracking Trump: His actions to dismantle the Education Department, and more [The Hechinger Report]
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