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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.
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Policy Matters: Hard work should pay enough to live: At a recent League of Women Voters of Oklahoma forum, I spoke in support of State Question 832, which would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and make sure it keeps up with rising costs. Opponents kept pointing to California as a cautionary tale. But if we’re looking for comparisons, there’s a more honest place to start: Oklahoma itself. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
State Government News
Bad beat: Oklahoma Senate shoots down HB 1047’s sports betting proposal: After facing criticism from senators expressing ethical concerns about the darker side of how gambling affects communities, a bill to legalize sports betting failed in the Oklahoma Legislature’s upper chamber Wednesday. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Senate says no to sports betting [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Senate rejects sports betting bill despite support [The Journal Record]
- Oklahoma Senate rejects sports betting deal endorsed by tribes, OKC Thunder [KOSU]
- Hear lawmakers’ arguments for, against sports betting in Oklahoma (video) [The Oklahoman]
Bill hiking state employee longevity pay heads to Oklahoma governor: The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday sent Gov. Kevin Stitt a bill that would increase longevity pay for state employees. Senate Bill 169, by Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, would increase longevity pay by 50% across all years of service. [Oklahoma Voice]
Bill shielding fossil fuel companies from climate, greenhouse gas lawsuits awaits Stitt’s signature: The state legislature passed a bill seeking to block liability lawsuits against fossil fuel companies for the effects of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Oklahoma set to invest in newly opened Trump investment accounts for children: Oklahoma will soon begin making $250 payments to newly opened Trump accounts, thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday. [KOSU]
Long Story Short: Shadowed Reports and Unfinished Business (podcast): A deep dive into a lingering thread in the Epic Charter Schools investigation that just wouldn’t stay buried and a high-stakes standoff between State Farm and a retired federal judge over a hidden adjuster’s report. Plus, a breakdown of the legislative push to tighten Oklahoma’s conflict-of-interest laws. [Oklahoma Watch]
Editorial: OK House speaker to Cherokee chief: Don’t disagree with us. You’ll be banned: Last week in an editorial we urged the state Legislature to reconsider its apparent inclination to try to undo the constitutional expansion of Medicaid the people of the state approved in 2020. Two slightly different approaches to this rewind effort were still being considered as we pen this new editorial. Our belief, that state legislators shouldn’t try to take away what state voters themselves said they wanted, was shared by Chuck Hoskin Jr., since 2019 the principal chief of the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Nation. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
Federal Government News
Republican states, including Oklahoma, defend citizenship lists ordered by Trump as ‘optional’ election help: A dozen Republican state attorneys general are moving to defend President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail ballots from legal challenges mounted by Democrats. The GOP officials, led by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, argued in multiple court filings Monday and Tuesday in response to Democratic lawsuits that the March 31 order provides states with “optional resources” to help secure their elections and doesn’t endanger voting rights. [Oklahoma Voice]
Feds approve Oklahoma’s plan to get more people online: The federal government has approved Oklahoma’s plan to connect more of the state to high speed internet. State broadband officials say this is a long time coming. [KOSU]
New poll shows Oklahomans split, declining on Trump approval: President Donald Trump’s favorability has been trending downwards since the start of the year, and according to a new study, Oklahoma is on the edge of not favoring the Republican president. [The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Tulsa County DA race pits experience against calls for change: Incumbent Steve Kunzweiler is running on a decade of high-profile prosecutions and stability. Challenger Colleen McCarty argues those same years show it’s time for a different approach. [The Frontier]
Education News
Divorcing from usual process, Oklahoma Board of Education rewrites dozens of social studies standards: Some educators are raising concerns about content in the newly approved, proposed 2026 academic standards for social studies — and the process by which the standards were revised. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Education Watch: Reading Reforms Signed into Law: Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday signed into law major revisions to schools’ early childhood reading policies. Literacy was a top agenda item for Stitt and the Legislature this session. [Oklahoma Watch]
- How Oklahoma’s new literacy reform law will affect students, teachers [The Oklahoman]
- Editorial: Passing OK literacy bill is strong step in right direction [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
National Preschool Enrollment Surged Last Year; Oklahoma’s Continued to Fall: A new national report ranks Oklahoma fifth in preschool access for 4-year-olds, but researchers say public awareness needs to be heightened to help restore the program’s reach to prepandemic levels. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion: If Oklahoma wants better future, education must be priority: Just as people choose to live in cities because of the good schools, businesses choose to locate and invest in states with the best education. For the future of Oklahoma we need to vote for and elect leaders, regardless of party affiliation, who will promote and improve the education of our kids, who are the future of our state. [Charles Moles / The Oklahoman]
Health News
These 8 counties in Oklahoma get an ‘F’ for smog pollution: At least eight Oklahoma counties, including the most populated areas of the state, saw enough smog-filled days to get an “F” on the American Lung Association’s 2026 air pollution report card. [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Judge says victim’s rights not violated in Jesse Butler plea negotiation: A Payne County judge has rejected an attorney’s argument that a victim’s right to be heard had been violated during plea agreements in the controversial sentencing of Jesse Butler for sexual assault. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
Push for reparations takes center stage with 3-day conference in Tulsa: Reparations. It’s a controversial topic for some, but for others, there’s an obvious right decision. The topic will take center stage this weekend during a three-day conference led by the City of Tulsa’s Beyond Apology Commission. It’ll feature national advocates, faith leaders and political strategists. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa Mayor’s $1.22B budget ask includes new emergency management office, rate hikes [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Tulsa leaders consider what to do with $103 million surplus in Vision Tulsa funding [Tulsa World]
- Two new restaurants approved by Edmond planners [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“We have to make more people aware of national and local studies showing that students who start academic learning at age four have better reading and math outcomes and are much more likely to reach a living wage. It’s not early – it’s on time. Their brains are ready.”
– Ana Barros, who works with a Tulsa-based nonprofit focused on improving education outcomes, emphasizes the need to rebuild awareness and participation in Oklahoma’s pre-K programs as enrollment declines. [Oklahoma Watch]
Number of the Day
2,343
The number of children Oklahoma’s public pre-K programs declined by in a single year — dropping from the prior year to 36,114 enrolled in 2024–25. [The National Institute for Early Education Research]
Policy Note
State Universal Pre-K Policies: Lessons from Florida, Oklahoma, and Vermont: High-quality universal pre-K programs have been shown to improve children’s academic outcomes, long-term earnings, and overall life outcomes, but access remains uneven across states and communities. Only a few states — like Oklahoma, Florida, and Vermont — have implemented truly universal programs, and their results vary widely depending on funding, quality standards, and program design. Programs with stronger teacher requirements, smaller class sizes, and more consistent standards tend to show more lasting benefits for students. Overall, expanding access alone isn’t enough — the quality and structure of pre-K programs play a major role in determining their impact. [Rockefeller Institute of Government]
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