In The Know: The 30th anniversary of OKC bombing | #okleg leaders tout bipartisan cooperation | OK Policy responds to Gov.’s misleading comments on SB 675

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

Statement: OK Policy responds to governor’s misleading comments on SB 675: As the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, I wish to clarify the inaccuracies in Gov. Stitt’s recent remarks about the defeat of Senate Bill 675. [Full statement from Shiloh Kantz / OK Policy]

State Government News

Questions swirl around Tulsa mental health provider contracts: Three major behavioral health clinics in Tulsa County have been notified that their state contracts will be terminated next month. The notices have created confusion about the future of mental health services for tens of thousands of Oklahomans. [KOSU]

• Tulsa leaders say termination notices sent to mental health providers were a ‘mistake’ amid funding concerns [News on 6]
• State working to ensure Tulsa mental health providers’ work is not interrupted, official says [Tulsa World]
• State funds cut for 3 mental health service providers in Tulsa County [Fox 23]

Tulsa commission opposes law creating felony for undocumented immigrants: The Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic and Latinx Affairs Commission officially opposes a bill that would charge undocumented immigrants accused of any crime with a felony in Oklahoma. House Bill 1362 would make an undocumented person arrested on suspicion of any crime automatically guilty of a felony punishable by at least five years in prison. [Public Radio Tulsa]

• From OK Policy: With immigration bills, lawmakers are playing politics with people’s lives

Despite tweet from governor, state Democrats and Republicans tout cooperating on lawmaking: Democrats, as House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson notes, are a “superminority” in the Oklahoma House, holding only about one-fifth of the 101 seats in the body. Of the 439 bills approved by the House this year and sent to the Senate for further consideration, just 29 of them were authored by Democrats. That apparently was too many for Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s liking. [The Oklahoman]

Lawmaker asks for AG’s opinion on potential Supt. Walters ethics violation: A freshman Oklahoma lawmaker has brought up a new possible ethics complaint centered around State Superintendent Ryan Walters. [KFOR]

As coal declines, Oklahoma continues to replace it with renewable energy: A recent report said Oklahoma saw an increase in wind and solar generation. Natural gas, the largest source of energy in the state, is also increasing. The news comes as the state Legislature considers a number of bills aiming to restrict the location of new wind turbines and solar projects. [The Oklahoman]

Political notebook: Legislature looks to further limit virtual instruction for traditional public schools: The proposed state-funded St. Isidore virtual Catholic school not withstanding, lawmakers continue squeezing schools to teach kids in classrooms rather than online. [Tulsa World] 

Legislative round-up:

• Lawmakers to consider shopping cart theft, food misbranding bills this week in committee [Fox 25]
• Controversial Oklahoma storm chasing license bill stalls, but lawmakers plan future study [Oklahoma Voice]
• Legislators table storm-chaser licensing bill for further study [The Journal Record]
• Bill limiting virtual school days in Oklahoma advances [KFOR]

Opinion: Oklahoma senators spurned fearmongering about women’s health. Will the House and governor step up?: A tip of the hat to Oklahoma’s state senators who managed to do some good governing that, for once, actually would help improve women’s health. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]

• An emboldened anti-abortion faction wants women who have abortions to face criminal charges [Associated Press]

Opinion, Capital Insider: Individual income tax reduction plan moves closer to reality: The Senate has passed a bill that would gradually eliminate the state’s individual income tax, something Governor Kevin Stitt has been pushing for. [KGOU]

• From OK Policy: Fact Check: How would the governor’s proposal to cut, eliminate personal income tax affect Oklahoma?
• From OK Policy: Lawmakers should choose targeted relief amidst budget uncertainty

Federal Government News

Immigrants without legal status must now register and carry documents, after court order: Millions of immigrants in the country without legal authorization are required as of Friday to register with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after a federal judge rejected advocacy groups’ request to pause the requirement. They’ll also have to carry documents proving their registration. [Oklahoma Voice]

Mullin draws backlash over reporter violence ‘joke’: After “joking” that violence could solve “fake news” in an April 4 video posted on Twitter, U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin is facing pushback from editorial boards and advocates for freedom of the press. [NonDoc]

• Senator Mullin draws backlash over reporter violence ‘joke’ [The Black Wall Street Times]
• Oklahoma Senator says he was joking about using violence against journalists [KFOR]

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]

DC Debrief: Spending cuts threaten Medicaid and other agencies: he reconciliation package will see some spending cuts. Depending if you’re in the House or the Senate, those decisions will be different. Medicaid changes threatens to affect millions of Americans and Oklahomans alike. There is chaos in the ‘downsizing’ project the federal government has put in motion. [News on 6] 

D.C. nonprofit with Henry Bellmon ties reconnecting with Oklahoma: Oklahoma is one of several states targeted by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The objective is to make debt and deficit important enough to community leaders that it becomes important to the members of Congress who represent them. [Tulsa World]

How cutting Medicaid would affect long-term care and family caregivers: As Congress looks for ways to reduce the federal deficit, Medicaid is in the spotlight. Last week, the GOP-led House passed a budget framework that allows both chambers of Congress to work on a major budget plan they expect to pass without any Democratic votes. Some House Republicans have called for it to include reductions in Medicaid spending. Family caregivers and people needing long-term care could be hard-hit by cuts to the program. [NPR via KOSU]

Opinion: What tariffs will mean for Oklahomans: By now we’ve all heard of tariffs. As widespread and prevalent as the news on these tariffs is, so is the confusion. While understanding the economic policy at play is valuable, most Oklahomans just want to know what impact these tariffs will have on their day-to-day life. Let’s break it down a bit. [Steve Wyett / Tulsa World]

• OKC’s Simple Modern facing $100 million tax bill with escalating China tariffs [The Oklahoman]

Opinion: Cutting SNAP, SoonerCare and Community Service Block Grants is unacceptable: Sixty-one percent of families served by CAP Tulsa qualify for services based on their enrollment in public benefits, such as SNAP. Even more striking is the high usage of SoonerCare, which stands at 91% of the young children served by our agency. Cutting these benefits for low-income folks means they won’t be able to afford routine medical care for their children. It will also become even more difficult in today’s high-cost environment for families to put food on the table. [Karen Tilkin / Tulsa World]

Tribal Nations News

Gov. Stitt cuts off all state tobacco reimbursements to Muscogee Creek Nation indefinitely, sources say: Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) is cutting off all tobacco reimbursements to the Muskogee Creek Nation indefinitely, FOX23 sources at the State Capitol said. Stitt, his office and the Muscogee Nation walked away from the negotiating table on March 31. They had been meeting on new tribal license plate and tobacco compacts, but FOX23 was told things fell apart when the tribe felt the proposed agreements violated the sovereignty over their lands. [Fox 23]

• State stops remitting smoke shop tobacco excise taxes to Muscogee Nation [Tulsa World]

Voting and Election News

Rep. Cole says he doesn’t expect Trump to secure a third term; experts say it’s impossible: Though President Donald Trump says he’s serious about seeking a third term in office, two Oklahoma political scientists and one member of the state’s congressional delegation said that won’t happen. [The Oklahoman]

Some Oklahomans are unhappy with political leadership, but are they enough to make change?: To quote Stephen Stills, there’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear. It isn’t 1960s anti-war and civil rights marches or even 2000s tea party rallies. It’s not a thousand people in the streets. But it is several hundred on street corners, in parks and churches and public buildings, all of them voicing discontent with national and to some extent state leadership. [Tulsa World]

• O’Rourke and Schmidt encourage anti-Trumpers to fight in Tulsa [Public Radio Tulsa]

Opinion: Oklahoma is last in voter turnout. Why State Question 836 is essential to fix that: A healthy democracy relies on engaged and informed voters, yet our current election system discourages participation, limits whose voices are heard, and ultimately fosters civic illiteracy by shutting people out of the process. The consequences are showing — Oklahoma was dead last in the nation for voter turnout in November 2020 and 2024. If voter turnout is a measure of civic literacy, we are in crisis. [Ros Elder / Tulsa World]

Education News

OK Supt. Ryan Walters discusses education plans once U.S. Department of Education is dismantled: State Superintendent Ryan Walters sat down with FOX23 in an exclusive interview to discuss Oklahoma’s education plans once the Trump administration dismantles the U.S. Department of Education. FOX23 was able to speak with Walters while he was visiting Drumright Public Schools to celebrate facility improvements in the district. [Fox 23]

Judge sides with Walters, finds ‘no actual malice’ in Boismier defamation suit: Weeks after State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters settled an ethics violation involving his use of social media, Walters claimed victory Thursday in a different dispute over his online behavior, this time in litigation brought by Summer Boismier — a former Norman Public Schools teacher who filed a defamation lawsuit against the controversial politician in August 2023. [NonDoc]

Tulsa Public Schools launching new whistleblower report for conflicts of interest, hiring external auditor: Tulsa Public Schools is “sunsetting” its vendor relationship with a high-paid local engineering firm and taking steps to ensure that no other construction service providers have ties to a former longtime TPS executive who is under investigation after the state’s recent forensic audit findings, public records reveal. [Tulsa World]

Opinion: A vibrant Tulsa doesn’t happen without expanded programs after school: Every day, across Tulsa, after-school professionals take on the roles of educators, mentors, coaches and caregivers. They are a highly skilled, talented and dedicated workforce ensuring their programs are high-quality, engaging and meaningful for the youth they serve. [Lauren Sivak / Tulsa World]

Health News

Oklahoma reports two new measles cases, potential exposure sites in latest update: Oklahoma is reporting one new confirmed measles case and another probable case, bringing the state’s total to 12 reported cases. The agency provided a notice for a public setting exposure site connected to the new confirmed case at an Aldi Grocery Store in Oklahoma City on April 6. [KGOU]

• OSDH: two more measles cases in Oklahoma [Public Radio Tulsa]
• New measles exposure sites named in Oklahoma City [The Journal Record]
• Oklahoma measles case count rises to 12 positive cases: What to know [The Oklahoman]

Group representing Oklahoma nursing homes praises ruling tossing federal minimum staffing mandate: An analysis found the rule would require Oklahoma to hire over 1,200 full-time employees, including 538 nurse aides and 715 RNs over the five years the rule was phased in. It would cost Oklahoma nursing homes an estimated $76 million per year. Oklahoma ranks 46th in the U.S. for nurses per capita. [KGOU]

Dr. Karla Robinson shares tips to improve Black American health: MD-licensed, board-certified family physician and GoodRx medical editor Dr. Karla Robinson believes that chronic stress, food deserts, environmental and systemic racism, limited access to affordable healthcare, nutritious food options, and culturally competent healthcare professionals create challenging conditions. [The Black Wall Street Times]

• From OK Policy: Black Health: Dying in Oklahoma (Commentary)

Criminal Justice News

61 cases have been reviewed by an OKC police oversight board. Room for improvement remains: Oklahoma City’s community-based police oversight board is ramping up public awareness on the process of submitting and reviewing officer complaints amid ongoing local concerns about police reform, racial profiling and immigration enforcement. [The Oklahoman]

• Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority Citizens Advisory Board is back. Why did it lapse? [The Oklahoman]

Economy & Business News

As demand for AI rises, so do power thirsty data centers: For users of the new and increasingly popular AI tools, it might seem like the changes have been all online, without a physical footprint. But the rise of AI has tangible effects — data centers and the physical infrastructure needed to run them use large amounts of energy, water and other resources, experts say. [Oklahoma Voice]

Community News

Oklahoma City bombing, 30 years later: Our city’s stories of strength, healing and hope: April 19, 1995, changed the course of American history forever. Thirty years later, we pause to honor the 168 lives lost, the countless others forever affected, and the spirit of resilience that emerged from the devastation. The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City remains one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism on U.S. soil, a tragedy that continues to echo through the lives of survivors, first responders, and a grieving nation. [The Oklahoman]

• Opinion: She was one of many helping the wounded at the OKC bombing. Now she helps preserve the victims’ memory [William C. Wertz / The Oklahoman]
• Opinion: Finding words of comfort in the writing of Nobel Prize-winning author Hemingway [Charlotte Lankard / The Oklahoman]
• Opinion: Out of grief and devastation came caring, sharing and the Oklahoma Standard [Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating / The Oklahoman]
• Left behind after the bombing: Tulsan explains why she keeps showing up for her mother [Tulsa World]
• Timothy McVeigh’s letters to Oklahoma journalist offer window into bomber’s mind [Tulsa World]
• Editorial: As we remember April 19, know that domestic terrorism is on the rise [Tulsa World Editorial Board]

Opinion: Our youth deserve a sustainable future. I’ll remain ‘pleasantly persistent’: Tulsans must prioritize actions to preserve a healthy planet and a thriving economy for children today and future generations. Much like seeds, children reach their highest potential when given the necessary conditions they need to flourish, including clean air and water and a stable climate. [Nancy Moran / Tulsa World]

Opinion, U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas: Remembering ‘Black Sunday,’ 90 years ago during Oklahoma Dust Bowl days: While there are perhaps few Oklahomans with living memory of that consequential Sunday onApril 14th, 1935, there are probably fewer who have never spent time listening intently to theirelders describe the hardships that came with it. [U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas / The Oklahoman]

Opinion: If you love a woman, help women realize they can be powerful: This past month we recognized International Women’s Day on March 8, and I struggle with the topic. Should it be “Women and the Law” or “Women in the Law”? The truth is, it doesn’t matter — both are worthy of attention. [Kara Vincent / Tulsa World]

Local Headlines

• Oklahoma County’s credit score is no longer threatened by late filing: Here’s what it means [The Oklahoman]
• Oklahoma County will collect debris from wildfires; property taxes reduced after fire, twisters [The Oklahoman]
• Tornado counts nearly double historical average for spring 2025. How does Oklahoma compare? [The Oklahoman]
• In drought-stricken Oklahoma, expect summer to be hotter than normal: See what NWS predicts [The Oklahoman]
• Can Kevlar help prevent busy roads from deteriorating? Oklahoma County adds to some roads [The Oklahoman]

Quote of the Day

“Brace yourself, some ideas aren’t partisan. Every good idea that can move Oklahoma forward should be considered.”

-Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, who previously served in the Oklahoma House, responding to the governor’s social media post where he expressing disappointment that a record number of Democrat-sponsored legislation advanced out of the House. [The Oklahoman]

Number of the Day

5%-11%

Of the fees and fines charged to fund justice system services, only a fraction of the assessed debt is collected each year; some officials estimate as little as 5 to 11 percent of fees get paid. [OK Policy]

Policy Note

How Do Fines and Fees Affect Families’ Well-Being?: Fines and fees are used by state and local governments to penalize people who violate the law, recover the costs of administering criminal legal services, and raise government revenues. They include speeding or parking tickets and court- or incarceration-related fines and fees. However, our analysis shows fines and fees can strain the well-being of families already experiencing financial instability and widen income and racial disparities. [Urban Institute]

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