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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
Along with rain forecast, National Weather Service warns of fire conditions this week as springtime turns hot: Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Norman expect a chance of rain over south central Oklahoma on Thursday night into Friday morning. Meanwhile, a combination of high temperatures in the 80s and low humidity in western and northwest Oklahoma is likely to increase the risk of wildfires. [The Oklahoman]
- These striking satellite photos show fire damage in Oklahoma: See before-and-after images [The Oklahoman]
- Scientists expect more drought this year in parts of the Midwest and Great Plains [Harvest Public Media via KOSU]
- Oklahoma firefighters unhappy with Gov. Stitt’s criticism of State Forester [KOSU]
Lawmakers Eye Tougher Sentencing Laws: Lock them up and throw away the key. That’s the idea behind Title 21, Section 13.1 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Criminal defendants convicted of one of the 22 offenses outlined in the statute, including murder, first-degree rape and human trafficking, must serve at 85% of their sentence behind bars before becoming parole eligible. Oklahoma lawmakers are considering several additions to the 85% list, with backers arguing a tougher approach is needed to crack down on violent crime and domestic abuse. [Oklahoma Watch]
- Legislative Session Update from OK Policy: The Legislature is Working Against Itself
State Government News
Concerns of breaking state law prompt state Board of Education to cancel meeting: An agenda for the meeting was posted online 19 minutes late Wednesday, though it was physically posted on time at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, where the meeting would have taken place at 1 p.m. Thursday, state Superintendent Ryan Walters confirmed. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Board of Education meeting moved over concerns of potential Open Meeting Act violation [KOSU]
- State Board of Education postpones meeting after agenda’s late online posting [Tulsa World]
- State education board meeting suddenly postponed after member asks about violation [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma State Board of Education cancels monthly meeting due to ‘technical issue’ [News 9]
- Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting postponed due to Open Meetings Act [KOCO]
- State Board of Education meeting rescheduled after agenda posted late [2 News Oklahoma]
Despite opposition from the governor, Oklahoma moves forward sports betting bills with tribal input: Legislation legalizing sports betting, which gives tribal governments the exclusive right to operate it, has made its way through the House despite the governor’s opposition. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma sports betting bills advance as Gov. Kevin Stitt promises veto [The Oklahoman]
- Watch: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt opposes two bills on sports betting (video) [The Oklahoman]
Education bills among those that met Oklahoma legislative deadline: Both the Oklahoma House and Senate chambers worked long hours on Thursday as it was the final day for lawmakers to get their bills heard. Many bills on many topics are now on their way to the opposite chamber, but education is a big topic this session. [KOCO]
- Oklahoma House takes aim at strengthening parental consent in special education decisions [KSWO News 7]
A bill seeking to punish people for trafficking abortion-inducing drugs passes Oklahoma House: House Bill 1168 would allow drug trafficking charges to be imposed on someone who delivers or possesses with the intent to deliver an abortion-inducing drug to someone. [KGOU]
Senate advances bill to protect Oklahoma religious services from protests: The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday advanced a bill that could imprison protesters who interrupt a religious service. Critics said the prohibition, which extends to one mile of the religious service, violates free speech rights. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma Freedom Caucus introduces resolution proclaiming ‘Christ is King’: In a statement, the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus defended the religious stance saying, “It stands as a testament to the enduring influence of Christian belief in shaping Oklahoma’s culture and communities.” [Fox 25]
Oklahoma gets closer to banning lab-grown meat: A bill banning lab-grown meat passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives and is on the way to the Oklahoma Senate. House Bill 2829 bans cell-cultivated meat from being manufactured, sold or distributed. [KOSU]
Legislation aimed at ‘forever chemicals’ would likely increase water rates, city official says: Proposed legislation that would change how municipalities dispose of the byproduct from treated wastewater could cost the city as much as $100 million in infrastructure upgrades and $10 million annually in operational costs — a bill that would be passed on to ratepayers, city councilors were told Wednesday. [Tulsa World]
Cheaper insulin prices for Oklahomans pass House, await Senate consideration: Oklahoma House lawmakers want to lower Insulin’s cost for uninsured Oklahomans with diabetes. One bill that passed the chamber this week partners the state with federally funded nonprofits to accomplish the goal. [KOSU]
Setback rules for windmill, solar farms in Oklahoma begin to take shape: As lawmakers aim to limit how close renewable energy developments can be to certain occupied buildings in Oklahoma, the governor worries about dissuading potential investors in the state. Others say the matter should be left to counties and property owners. [KOSU]
OKPOP gets boost from Oklahoma House of Representatives: Lawmakers passed House Bill 2673, by Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, allowing OKPOP to count binding pledges toward the $18 million it must raise by Nov. 15 to access an identical amount appropriated by the Legislature last year. [Tulsa World]
Editorial: Can Ryan Walters be trusted with federal education money? His record says no.: The last time Ryan Walters got his hands on a chunk of state or federal funds things didn’t go so well. Delays in funding for inhalers, school security and maternity leave come to mind. Before that, people ended up buying things like big TVs with the COVID-era funds Gov. Stitt entrusted Walters to manage. And then there were all the media appearances to Washington, D.C., on Oklahoma taxpayers’ dime. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
Federal Government News
Sam Bankman-Fried moved to Oklahoma City prison transfer facility: According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Bankman-Fried is housed at the Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center. This is common for federal prisoners who are on the move between locations. They are often held there short-term and then moved to their next facility. [The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Lighthorse police respond after threat on Muscogee Nation hospital in Okmulgee: Officials with the Muscogee Nation locked down the tribe’s Okmulgee health complex Thursday after a family member of a patient made direct threats on the hospital. [Tulsa World]
Choctaw Defense Manufacturing builds water purification system: Choctaw Defense Manufacturing, a tribally-owned contractor offering services to government and commercial contractors worldwide, has contracted with ELW Global to build two Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units, which are designed to convert potentially hazardous water into drinking water in minutes. [The Journal Record]
Voting and Election News
Special Election Roundup
- Oklahoma elections 2025: Early voting for Tuesday election begins. Who’s on the ballot, more [The Oklahoman]
- Commissioner candidates Jed Green, Jason Lowe face off in Oklahoma County District 1 [NonDoc]
- Cheat sheet: Races for OKC metro school districts [NonDoc]
- Edmond mayor debate: Candidates clash on policing, support mental health response teams [NonDoc]
- Cheat sheet: 5 Republicans seek HD 74 nomination in Owasso-area special election [NonDoc]
- Tulsa School Board District 3 Candidates [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- Carby, Simmons in runoff for Tulsa Public Schools District 3 seat [Tulsa World]
Education News
Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk to speak at OSU: What to know: Charlie Kirk, political activist and founder of Turning Point USA, is bringing his tour to Oklahoma State University’s campus next week. [The Oklahoman]
Atlas tech school gets $500,000 grant to help students with financial barriers: Atlas School, a downtown Tulsa technology and software engineering school for many nontraditional students, has received a big financial boost. [Tulsa World]
Health News
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know: Oklahoma farmers have been fertilizing their fields with what’s politely called biosolids, but let’s call it what it is: treated human sewage. The state insists biosolids are safe as fertilizer but concedes it’s never tested them for PFAS. [Oklahoma Watch]
Criminal Justice News
He has waited for decades for the execution of a man involved in his dad’s murder: John Fitzgerald Hanson had been in federal prison serving time for bank robbery instead of Oklahoma’s death row. Then Trump took office. [The Frontier]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker
Opinion: Oklahoma has a stalking and domestic violence crisis. Help is ready for you: Stalking and domestic violence are about power and control. In Oklahoma, both issues continue to run rampant, with 51% of women and 46% of men likely to experience domestic violence or stalking, which is an extension of abuse. [Kayla Woody / The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Advocates gather to help end hunger across Oklahoma: Dozens of advocates gathered on Thursday to push for policies to help end hunger across the state. This effort comes as Oklahoma consistently ranks as one of the hungriest states in the country. [KFOR]
Economy & Business News
Taco Cabana eyes return to Oklahoma with franchising: A fast-casual Tex-Mex brand intends to return to Oklahoma, nearly a decade after the last company-owned location closed in the state. [The Journal Record]
Community News
My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Celebrates 11 Years: Since being named a My Brother’s Keeper Model Community in 2023, MBK Tulsa has been focused on driving real change and measurable outcomes for boys and young men of color. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
We Live In Troubled Times. Here’s How 10 Tulsans Are Coping: In this unstable period, Tulsans are focused on their local communities, but they are also navigating a period of national and global uncertainty. The ongoing flurry of policy changes at the federal level is causing economic challenges. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Opinion: AutismOklahoma is a grassroot organization helping families with autistic kids: AutismOklahoma’s team of women is more than talk, they walk the walk everyday. After a recent staff meeting I walked away with a deep sense of gratitude. [Kelly Dyer Fry / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- An old, racist policy limits Edmond leadership to only property owners. Officials want to see change [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“Oklahomans are watching to see whether the Legislature, which already has shown a penchant for giving public money to private schools, is prepared to provide the strong controls necessary to ensure public schools are fully funded and Oklahoma’s kids ― including those in low-income districts and rural areas ― get the quality of education they deserve. After all, the federal Education Department no longer can be the scapegoat if student outcomes don’t improve.”
– An editorial published by The Oklahoman questioning whether Oklahomans can trust State Superintendent Ryan Walters with additional federal education funds, citing his department’s oversight failures and the reduced federal regulations following the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
Number of the Day
3 in 5
Medicaid covers people in all walks of life, including 3 in 5 nursing facility residents. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
Policy Note
Medicaid Cuts Could Cost States Billions in Tax Revenue and a Million Jobs: One in five Americans depends on Medicaid for health insurance. A new report from the Commonwealth Fund shows Medicaid cuts over the next 10 years could amount to $880 billion to meet deficit reduction goals, with an additional $230 billion in reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Commonwealth analysis concludes that the combined economic losses to states from cuts at these levels could reach over $1.1 trillion. [Governing]
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