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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
Creating a minimum age of adjudication is common sense youth justice reform: Oklahoma’s youth justice system is tasked with ensuring youth who cause harm face fair consequences, but is also responsible for protecting children and promoting long-term public safety. One of the most effective ways to do both is by setting a reasonable minimum age of adjudication at 12 years old, like Senate Bill 2097 proposes. Adjudication is the court process for determining if children can be held criminally responsible, or delinquent, in court. [Jill Mencke / OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma AG agrees to turn over voter data to feds after lawsuit: Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has agreed to turn over Oklahoma’s detailed voter data to the federal government. The DOJ and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had sued Oklahoma and dozens of other states under the Civil Rights Act to let the Department of Justice verify whether the state is removing ineligible voters as required by federal law. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma will hand over voter data to DOJ after initially declining [KOSU]
- Oklahoma agrees to turn over voter data to end federal lawsuit [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma agrees to share private voter data with DOJ in settlement [KFOR]
- Settlement calls for state to send voter rolls to U.S. attorney general [Tulsa World]
State Government News
With ‘premature’ presser, call for ODMHSAS ‘reaffiliation’ catches lawmakers off guard: At a press conference announced and held Tuesday morning — the second day of a legislative deadline week — a trio of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s agency leaders made a public request that lawmakers write a bill allowing the State Department of Health to absorb the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services by the end of the calendar year. [NonDoc]
- Health officials call for privatization, restructuring of Oklahoma mental health services [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma health care officials ask lawmakers for more funding, to restructure mental health agency [KOSU]
- OK leaders discuss proposed structural changes at the Department of Mental Health [KFOR]
Are Oklahoma lawmakers considering a bill that would allow the Attorney General to sue anyone who aids a minor in obtaining gender-affirming care out of state?: Yes. HB 3130 would prohibit health care providers from referring minors for gender-affirming care, which they are prohibited from receiving under state law, and make it unlawful for anyone to aid or abet the obtaining or referral of such care for minors. The bill would allow the attorney general to litigate to enforce compliance. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma Senate passes $2,000 teacher pay raise: A $2,000 teacher salary increase passed unanimously in the Oklahoma Senate. The $92 million measure is a decrease from the Senate’s original proposal of $2,500 raises for teachers. Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said the $2,000 figure emerged from budget negotiations with the state House. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma senators signal teacher pay raises could no longer come from Teachers’ Retirement System [KOCO]
- From OK Policy: Competing education proposals set the stage for legislative debate (Capitol Update)
Legislative Roundup
- Senate approves slate of bills increasing teacher pay, investing in school security [KOSU]
- Bill would suspend students grades 3-5 for assaulting school employee, volunteer [Fox 25]
Federal Government News
Alan Armstrong Sworn In to Complete Mullin’s Senate Term: Oklahoma’s governor on Tuesday appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to serve in the U.S. Senate through the end of the year and finish the term of Republican Markwayne Mullin, the new homeland security secretary. Armstrong was formally sworn into office Tuesday afternoon in Washington while Oklahoma’s senior U.S. Sen. James Lankford stood beside him. [Oklahoma Watch]
- New US senator for Oklahoma sworn in, replacing Markwayne Mullin [Oklahoma Voice]
- Seeking ‘permitting reform,’ Stitt appoints former Williams CEO Alan Armstrong to U.S. Senate [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt taps Alan Armstrong as new U.S. senator [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa energy executive Alan Armstrong will finish Mullin’s Oklahoma Senate term [KOSU]
- Alan Armstrong focused on energy infrastructure in new Senate role [KFOR]
- Tulsa’s Alan Armstrong is Stitt’s ‘non-political pick’ for U.S. Senate vacancy [Tulsa World]
- Meet Gov. Stitt’s pick to fill vacant U.S. Senate seat left by Markwayne Mullin (video) [The Oklahoman]
Mullin pledges to ‘protect everybody’ as he takes over Department of Homeland Security: President Donald Trump hailed his new Homeland Security head, former U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, as “strong, professional and fair” during an Oval Office swearing-in ceremony Tuesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Supreme Court skeptical of allowing states to count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day: The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative justices on Monday appeared skeptical of the validity of mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, in a case that could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of voters during the upcoming midterm elections. [Oklahoma Voice]
Why is the government shut down? How we got here, what’s next: The government continues to be shut down as Transportation Security Administration officers miss their first full paycheck and lines continue to lead outside of airports nationwide. [The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Declining to hear Stitt challenge, state justices punt tribal wildlife issue to federal court: The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Gov. Kevin Stitt’s attempt to overturn an attorney general’s opinion regarding state enforcement of licensure requirements on Native American hunters in Indian Country, saying the issue will ultimately be resolved by an ongoing lawsuit in federal court. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court declines to rule on tribal hunting rights [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court weighs in on tribal hunting, fishing rights dispute [KOSU]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court affirms tribal hunting, fishing rights [Tulsa World]
Cherokee Nation hands out $7.25 million to public schools: Cherokee Nation officials handed out $7.25 million in car tag revenue Tuesday to 107 public school districts and charter schools at its annual Public School Appreciation Day at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. [Tulsa World]
Education News
Jewish group files lawsuit against Oklahoma AG, charter school board: A Florida-based Jewish organization is suing the Oklahoma attorney general and the state’s charter school board over allegations of religious discrimination and violating the Constitution amid the board’s rejection of its application to start a school. [The Oklahoman]
- State of Oklahoma sued over rejection of Jewish charter school [Oklahoma Voice]
- Foundation behind Jewish charter school application files lawsuit over denial [KTUL]
- Rejected Jewish virtual charter school goes to court [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Oklahoma lawmakers should expand school choice. Here’s why: Educational choice is about more than this year’s budget. Too often, debates around the Parental Choice Tax Credit focus on short-term costs. But education policy should be measured over a lifetime. [Nathan Sanders / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Oklahoma awarded $223M for rural healthcare; experts warn money alone won’t fix the system: Earlier this year, Oklahoma was awarded $223 million through the federal Rural Health Transformation Grant. Now, lawmakers at the state Capitol are working to decide how to spend the money—but some healthcare leaders warn that without deeper reforms, the funding could ultimately fall short. [Fox 25]
Criminal Justice News
Still Waiting: Oklahoma’s Mental Health System Leaves Defendants Waiting in Jail Despite Court Order to Fix Delays: In March 2025, Oklahoma entered into a federal consent decree aimed at ending long delays in its competency restoration system, the process used to treat defendants with serious mental illness so their criminal cases can proceed. The plaintiff in the lawsuit styled Briggs v. Slavonic argued that defendants were being held in county jails for months without treatment after courts determined they were incompetent to stand trial, a violation of their constitutional rights. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion: Justice? OK man faces 26 more years for 1987 VCR theft: Brian Kamees has lost his job, his housing and his freedom. He was not a dangerous man in 1989, and he is not a dangerous man today. Yet the state has chosen to spend a half-million dollars to keep him locked up. [Sue Hinton / The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Mental health on the margins: What a weekend on Tulsa’s Admiral corridor reveals about housing, stress and survival: Extended-stay motels often serve as last-resort housing for people who cannot secure an apartment because of eviction histories, low income, lack of credit or criminal records. Without leases or background checks, motels can offer immediate shelter — albeit at a higher nightly cost. But life in these spaces exists in a gray area. [Tulsa Flyer]
Tulsa announces low-barrier shelter, The Harbor, planned to open December: Tulsa city and county officials gathered with nonprofit leaders Tuesday morning to announce plans for Tulsa’s first low-barrier homeless shelter, The Harbor. The public-private partnership is largely funded by the Ruth Nelson Family Foundation and the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. [NonDoc]
- Tulsa unveils plans to open $16M low-barrier homeless shelter in December [The Oklahoma Eagle via Tulsa Flyer]
- New $8 million donor announced for Tulsa’s low-barrier homeless shelter [Tulsa World]
Tulsa tenants left in limbo when landlords fail to pay hundreds of thousands in water bills: None seemed surprised the owner, Vesta Capital, hadn’t been paying bills. They spoke of pervasive mold, mounting trash, water gushing into downstairs apartments, broken doors, busted windows and trouble with appliances. They pointed out a top floor apartment had been burned out “for months.” [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Economy & Business News
State regulators say nuclear energy is possible in Oklahoma, but challenges remain: A group of researchers, utility representatives and energy experts has been developing a report on the possibility of nuclear energy generation in Oklahoma since last August. The study was ordered by the state legislature last year after the passage of Senate Bill 130. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
New lawsuit challenges land deal enabling controversial Sand Springs data center: A Tulsa-based nonprofit is suing a Sand Springs property owner over a land deal connected to a controversial data center proposal that has earned national headlines. Conservation organization Land Legacy alleged Monday that Alan Ringle and his family’s recent deal allowing for annexation of land for Project Spring violated an agreement that allowed the family to receive a $3.8 million federal tax writeoff. [Tulsa Flyer]
Community News
New Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail app is available for download: A mobile app that shares the locations and stories behind many of the landmark cases, movements and other historic events connected to civil rights in Oklahoma has officially been launched and a tribal leader praised the timing, predicting that it will help combat the “whitewashing of history.” [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Edmond council approves $17M retail incentive, renews contract with trash transfer station [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma City district considering Cesar Chavez Elementary name change [Oklahoma Voice]
- OKC to expand ‘Core to Shore’ TIF districts into Capitol Hill [The Journal Record]
- Stillwater approves $1.8 million renovation of Strickland Park ballfields [The Journal Record]
Quote of the Day
“It’s just hard to call delayed justice justice sometimes.”
– Chuck Sullivan, district attorney for Pittsburg and Haskell counties, describing how prolonged delays in competency evaluations and treatment — which can leave defendants with mental illness waiting months in jail after being deemed unfit for trial — stall cases and create backlogs across the justice system. [Oklahoma Watch]
Number of the Day
180
The estimated number of people in Oklahoma awaiting court-ordered mental health restoration services in May 2025. Inconsistent data and gaps in tracking across agencies make it difficult to determine the true scope of the backlog, raising concerns about the system’s ability to meet demand or even accurately measure it. [Briggs v. Friesen Court Consultant Report]
Policy Note
The Legislative Primer Series for Front-End Justice: Competency to Stand Trial: Competency to stand trial means a person must be able to understand their charges and participate in their defense, but growing demand for evaluations and limited resources have created major delays in this process. Many people end up waiting in jail for long periods — sometimes longer than their potential sentence — while trying to access evaluation or restoration services. States are responding by expanding community-based programs, jail-based restoration, and diversion options that focus on treatment and support instead of detention. Improving coordination, reducing wait times, and investing in community services are key to making the system more efficient and less harmful. [National Conference of State Legislatures]
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