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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
Oklahoma Senate narrowly passes $12.8 billion budget bill: The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday narrowly passed a $12.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 with most of the Democratic minority joining far right Republicans to cast votes against it. Senate Bill 1177, called the general appropriations bill, passed by a vote of 28-17, slightly above the 25 votes needed to secure passage in the upper chamber. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Senate advances FY 2027 appropriations bill despite objections [The Journal Record]
- ‘Not a conservative budget’: Freedom Caucus blasts Republican leaders’ $12.8B state budget agreement [KOCO]
- From OK Policy: Oklahomans deserve a real chance to see what’s in the budget and speak up before it’s final. Anything less falls short of the trust taxpayers place in their leaders.
Billions in unpaid taxes could help states fill budget holes, report says: Though states are missing out on billions in unpaid tax dollars, few have any mechanism to measure how much is being lost, according to a new report. The so-called tax gap — the difference between the taxes legally owed to the government and the amount paid — receives scant state attention, researchers from The Pew Charitable Trusts said in a report released Tuesday. That gap includes taxpayers who should file but do not, those who underreport their income, and those who do not pay on time. [Oklahoma Voice]
State Government News
OK Supreme Court finds Energy Discrimination Elimination Act unconstitutional as applied to OPERS: A narrow majority of the Oklahoma Supreme Court found today that the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act of 2022 is unconstitutional as applied to the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System. The act mandated the state treasurer, currently Republican Todd Russ, create a list of “financial companies that boycott energy companies” and required state government entities to divest from companies appearing on the list. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court rules energy discrimination law can’t force state retiree system to divest [Oklahoma Voice]
Legislative Roundup
- Bill adding 7 school days advances through Senate committee [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma bills could extend school year, shift testing dates [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma lawmakers consider bill to shield fossil fuel companies from climate, greenhouse gas lawsuits [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
- Lawmakers weigh bill allowing aerial images to assess property taxes without inspections [KTUL]
Explaining Oklahoma’s poultry lawsuit: Court order vs. settlements: After two decades in federal court, Oklahoma’s environmental lawsuit against poultry companies culminated in a judicial order creating a framework for preventing excess pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. [The Oklahoman]
- Chicken companies were found liable for pollution. Why finding a solution is complicated [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: OK Legislature shouldn’t find ways around its own rules: We elect legislators to represent us. That means they should know what they’re voting on, constituents should have a reasonable chance to weigh in, and the process shouldn’t be engineered to minimize scrutiny. These aren’t ideological positions. They’re the basic mechanics of self-governance. [Christy Taylor / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Trump announces 2-week Iran ceasefire, backing off threat ‘a whole civilization will die’: President Donald Trump agreed Tuesday evening to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, at least delaying his threat of a catastrophic attack on the country’s civilian population as he said the countries were near a long-term peace agreement. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Archbishop Coakley pleads for peace amid Trump’s threats against Iran [The Oklahoman]
- US, Iran declare victory after ceasefire announcement. Live updates [USA Today via The Oklahoman]
- ‘No End In Sight’: How the Iran Conflict Is Reshaping Black American Politics and the Economy [The Black Wall Street Times]
Birthright case forces US Supreme Court to confront prospect of Americans losing citizenship: As the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, Justice Sonia Sotomayor seemed skeptical. The order as written applies only to babies born in the future, and the Trump administration has asked the court to exclude current citizens from any decision. Still, the court’s senior liberal justice wasn’t so sure it would work out like that. [Oklahoma Voice]
Voting and Election News
Election Results Roundup
- Election results: Propositions pass in Norman, Piedmont; fail in Yukon, Moore [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma election results: K-12 school bonds see wins, taxes face mixed results [OPMX via KGOU]
- Martinez wins OKCPS seat, Millwood ousts board president, EPS incumbent reelected [NonDoc]
- Martinez wins south Oklahoma City school board race [Oklahoma Voice]
- Tulsa County: Dodson, Lamkin elected to school board, Broken Arrow passes 7 bonds [NonDoc]
- Bixby, Sapulpa and beyond: Here are the election results for races across Tulsa County [Tulsa Flyer]
- Broken Arrow voters approve 7 of 8 bond proposals, rejecting sales tax increase for sports facilities [Tulsa Flyer]
- Voters overwhelmingly approve Tulsa Public Schools’ bond package, elect new board rep [Tulsa World]
- McAlester voters reject sales tax for road projects [NonDoc]
- Norman voters say yes to permanent homeless shelter, elect Trey Kirby in Ward 5 [NonDoc]
Who is running for Congress in Oklahoma?: A shakeup in the form of former Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s appointment to President Trump’s Cabinet has led to a hotly contested series of primary elections for Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation. Here’s what you need to know about the six Congressional races happening this year. [KOSU]
Crowded race yields 15 candidates for Oklahoma governor: In the crowded race for governor, 15 candidates filed their campaigns to run for the position last week, finalizing who will be on the ballot for Oklahomans this year. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion, Oklahoma state senator: We the people, not dark money, should shape our elections: Elections are supposed to involve debate, persuasion and competing ideas. But what’s not expected, and what’s becoming more common, is how difficult it is to figure out who is actually paying for those messages. [Oklahoma Sen. Brent Howard / The Oklahoman]
Education News
Tulsa Public Schools is setting new records for graduation readiness. It’s years in the making: Nearly 57% of the district’s high schoolers are on track for a college and career readiness diploma — well above the goal TPS set years in advance. More than 90% of the district’s current senior class is enrolled in college and career ready curriculum with support from a graduation outcome team. It’s the highest rate the district has ever seen. At Monday night’s board meeting, students and principals from across the district celebrated the team’s efforts getting more students on track to graduate. [Tulsa Flyer]
Health News
A cancer survivor and advocacy group say undoing Medicaid expansion could cost lives in Oklahoma: On Monday, two measures that would clear a path for adjusting or reversing Medicaid expansion made it one step closer to the governor’s desk. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network warns these bills could threaten access to preventive care and screenings in a state with the fourth-highest cancer mortality rate in the country. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Criminal Justice News
Oklahoma bill would speed up first court appearance after arrest in pilot program: People arrested in Oklahoma County could soon be required to see a judge within days of being booked into jail under a bill supporters say would reduce jail overcrowding and better protect defendants’ rights. [News Channel 8]
Is Oklahoma ranked among the states with the highest rates of domestic violence? Yes: According to the 2023-2024 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 41.6% of Oklahoma women and 25.5% of Oklahoma men, the eighth- and second-highest percentages nationwide, experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. [Oklahoma Watch]
Suspended Coal County sheriff pleads no contest, fate in office unresolved: Nearly five months after a state multi-county grand jury indictment, suspended Coal County Sheriff Jason Smith has accepted a plea deal while a removal trial remains on the calendar. [NonDoc]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
“A Rat’s Nest of Fraud and Deceit”: New Lawsuit Adds to Vesta Realty CEO’s Legal Troubles: For months, lawsuits against Vesta Realty CEO Marc Kulick have piled up. As tenants across the state spoke to the media about conditions at Vesta-owned properties, experts said the situation illustrates why Oklahoma needs stronger tenant protections. [Oklahoma Watch]
Tulsa churches could play a role in solving the city’s homelessness issue: Tulsa is turning to churches in the city’s next push to create more housing. The city and the George Kaiser Family Foundation will host two public forums in April called “Connecting Mission and Place.” It’s a chance for local faith leaders and residents to discuss how to use church property to build affordable housing. [The Oklahoma Eagle via Tulsa Flyer]
Economy & Business News
Why Tulsa is hitting pause on data centers (podcast): City leaders have unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on new data center development, stepping back amid growing concerns about what these massive projects could mean for Tulsa’s power grid, water supply and long-term growth. At the same time, data center developers say they will bring jobs, investment, infrastructure and a foothold in a rapidly expanding industry. So where does Tulsa go from here? [The Frontier]
Community News
OKC Council approves final plans for the Clara Luper Civil Rights Center: The Oklahoma City Council gave the go-ahead for the final plans for the Clara Luper Freedom Center‘s new civil rights museum at the council meeting on Tuesday. [The Journal Record]
The Heartland Flyer: Expanding passenger rail beyond Oklahoma: Public transportation experts see the Heartland Flyer as the key to expanding passenger rail in the region. But as the service’s funding is uncertain, even more is at stake. [KGOU]
Local Headlines
- Children’s Learning Adventure to open Oklahoma location in Moore [The Oklahoman]
- Prairie dogs make their grand re-entrance at Oklahoma City’s Martin Park [KOSU]
- Oklahoma governor-hopeful Munson holds hometown campaign rally in Lawton [KSWO]
Quote of the Day
“Oklahoma already ranks near the top of nearly every measure of hardship — child poverty, food insecurity, uninsured rates, maternal mortality. We cannot afford expensive mistakes. We especially cannot afford mistakes that were preventable, if only someone had been given time to read the bill.”
– Christy Taylor, an Oklahoma-based civic advocate, warning that rushed and opaque lawmaking processes increase the risk of poorly designed policies. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
87,953
The number of Oklahomans who are currently under correctional control — meaning incarcerated or under community supervision. Oklahoma ranks 9th highest in the nation for the share of people caught in the system. [Prison Policy Initiative]
Policy Note
Punishment Beyond Prisons 2026: Incarceration and supervision by state: The U.S. criminal legal system extends far beyond prisons and jails, with millions of people under “correctional control” through probation and parole — often making up the majority of those impacted. Rather than serving as a true alternative to incarceration, these supervision systems frequently set people up to fail through strict rules and constant monitoring, leading many back into jail or prison for technical violations rather than new crimes. This creates a “revolving door” effect that destabilizes people’s lives and disproportionately impacts low-income communities and people of color. Overall, focusing only on incarceration misses the full scope of punishment in the U.S., where supervision plays a central — and often harmful — role. [Prison Policy Initiative]
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