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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
Lawmakers should choose targeted relief amidst budget uncertainty: State-level budget and tax policy matters deeply for Oklahomans because it directly affects how the state can meet its obligations to our fellow residents. This includes shared services like public safety, education, transportation construction, workforce development, and other programs that help all Oklahomans thrive. As is typical during an Oklahoma legislative session, legislators filed hundreds of bills on budget and tax issues. The bills are grouped below in three key spheres: tax credits, sales tax exemptions, and income tax. This article summarizes legislation and concepts likely to move forward this spring. [Aanahita Ervin / OK Policy]
State Government News
Lawmakers take another crack at tort reform after Oklahoma Supreme Court rebuke: Oklahoma senators on Monday pressed forward with another attempt to cap how much plaintiffs can claim for pain and suffering despite concerns that the state’s high court has already found a similar effort unconstitutional. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma Senate advances business court bill: The Oklahoma Senate on Monday passed a measure further developing the state’s business court system. Senate Bill 632 creates a business court division within the district court of any judicial district containing a population of more than 500,000, categorizing each division numerically. [The Journal Record]
Oklahoma House approves cryptocurrency investment bill amid Democratic opposition: On Monday, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 1203, a measure that would allow cryptocurrency investments in the state’s financial reserves and retirement funds. [Fox 25]
- State Treasurer weighs in on Oklahoma bill to allow for state investment in bitcoin [Fox 25]
Measure creating minimum standards for county jails clears Oklahoma Senate: Senators on Monday passed legislation that they said will clearly outline the minimum standards for which all county jails should operate. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma legislators could require schools to show controversial ‘Baby Olivia’ video: A controversial anti-abortion video could become part of the curriculum for Oklahoma students in November after legislation cleared the state House Monday. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma House of Representatives gets to the meat of the matter: The Oklahoma Legislature’s beef with test tube cowboys got a little rowdy in the House of Representatives on Monday. Not content with labeling “protein food products” not produced by “agricultural food animal” as such, as proscribed by House Bill 1126, some argued strenuously that laboratory-derived meat cells should be outlawed altogether. [Tulsa World]
Second annual Oklahoma Bible Reading Marathon continues through Wednesday at Capitol: The Capitol Bible Reading Marathon began Saturday and is expected to run through March 26. It is a ministry of Seedline International, which initially held Bible reading marathons in Washington, D.C., before helping coordinate similar events at capitols throughout the country. [The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Mullin telephone town hall features handful of pre-screened callers, no disagreement: Amid a wave of contentious town hall events across the country, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin took a different approach Monday night, holding his town hall over the phone and allowing six handpicked callers to ask questions. The chosen callers expressed support for both Mullin and President Trump when they spoke. [KFOR]
Rep. Tom Cole Says DOGE Is ‘Pretty Responsive’ to His Concerns: Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole told constituents with concerns about government-slashing efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency that he’d been able to get it to change course when it set its sights on projects related to his district. [Oklahoma Watch]
- 6 takeaways about DOGE from KOSU’s interview with Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole [KOSU]
Federal agency walks back plans to sell Oklahoma City Federal Building: Amid a slew of federal cuts under the Trump Administration, the U.S. General Services Administration announced plans to sell 443 federal properties, including the Oklahoma City Federal Building, earlier this month. After quickly backtracking, the agency has released a new list that does not include any Oklahoma facilities. [KOSU]
Trump’s school choice push adds to momentum in statehouses: More than a dozen states in the past two years have launched or expanded programs that allow families to use taxpayer dollars to send their students to private schools. Now, President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress want to supercharge those efforts. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Osage Nation ‘ready’ to take over Indian Affairs office, assistant chief says: As DOGE threatens to close the Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Pawhuska, a leader of the tribe that would be impacted says they can run it themselves. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Motion filed for Freedmen to join Muscogee Nation, Tulsa lawsuit: In the latest development of the Muscogee Creek Nation v. City of Tulsa lawsuit, a civil rights attorney and Freedmen advocate, Damario Solomon-Simmons, filed a motion to intervene in the case last Friday as a representative of the Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band. [KOSU]
‘All we have left is the dining hall’: Fire claims Kiowa tribe members’ historic church: Faith leaders of Rainy Mountain Kiowa Indian Baptist Church held services in a dining hall Sunday morning after their 131-year-old Baptist church, now demolished, burned to the ground the day heavy winds and wildfires devastated communities and destroyed hundreds of properties throughout Oklahoma. [The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Jim Putnam challenges Marcus Jones for Edmond Public Schools Board of Education District 5 seat: On April 1, voters in Edmond Public Schools Board of Education District 5 will cast their ballots in the race between incumbent Marcus Jones and challenger Jim Putnam. [NonDoc]
Education News
Judges dismiss suit over bullying filed against Ryan Walters, state board and state agency: In a legal victory — quite possibly via technicality — for state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, two Oklahoma County judges have dismissed a lawsuit alleging Walters, the Oklahoma State Board of Education and the Oklahoma State Department of Education didn’t adequately enforce anti-bullying laws. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa school board to consider Foundation for Tulsa Schools protocol policy: In light of the recent special audit of its finances, Tulsa Public Schools may be implementing a new policy regarding its relationship with a nonprofit organization. [Tulsa World]
Senior adult volunteers are helping an intergenerational preschool become a success: Organizations have conducted research on the benefits of “shared sites” that bring older adults together with children and youths for activities. Some of the activities involved older adults mentoring younger generations. [The Oklahoman]
Health News
Opinion: My daughter has Type 1 diabetes. New bill will hurt vulnerable patients like her: As a mother of a daughter with Type 1 diabetes, I live with the constant stress of ensuring she has the insulin she needs to survive. Every month, many spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on insulin and other essential supplies, and these costs have only continued to rise ― despite the net costs of insulin declining significantly over the past 15 years. Meanwhile, hospitals participating in the federal 340B drug pricing program pay just a fraction, yet many fail to pass those savings on to the patients who need them most. [Kim Kolebar / The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
OKC citizens will still review viral OKCPD use of force investigation following resignation: A citizen-led review process will move forward even after Oklahoma City Police say a former sergeant tied to a viral use of force case that injured an elderly man resigned. [KFOR]
Economy & Business News
Lawmakers celebrate investment into Port of Inola project to improve wastewater: A project is progressing to improve infrastructure critical to the development of the Tulsa Port of Inola and considered key to unlocking economic development in the region. [Tulsa World]
Community News
What’s changed in journalism? A podcast conversation with Michael McNutt: NonDoc editor in chief Tres Savage spoke with veteran journalist Michael McNutt about his 40 years in journalism and how the profession has changed over that time. [NonDoc]
Local Headlines
- Geary High School fire under investigation after weekend blaze destroys gym [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“There’s a handful of these billionaires that have been pushing (private school) vouchers for 30 years. The school choice movement is not necessarily driven by public demand, but rather by wealthy donors and political maneuvering.”
-Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University, talking about states launching or expanding programs that allow families to use taxpayer dollars to send their students to private schools. [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: Vouchers: Another Wrong Turn for Oklahoma Schools
Number of the Day
10.8%
The percentage-point decline in the homeownership rate among 35-to-44-year-olds in 2023 when compared with 1980. The data also show the relative income for this age group versus all homeowners nationally has fallen during this period. [Urban Institute]
Policy Note
Homeownership Has Fallen Further Out of Reach for Younger Families with the Lowest Incomes: Over the past 45 years, median home prices in the US have increased much faster than median household incomes. A new Urban Institute analysis finds these rising housing costs have become a critical economic challenge for working families. We find that today, lower-income households in their critical homebuying years are much less likely to buy a home than previous generations. [Urban Institute]
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