OKPOLICY.ORG
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
Building better paths: Oklahoma pilots new domestic violence reform (Capitol Update): A lot of good things happen in state government that most of us citizens have never heard about. We tend to hear about some bill being introduced in the legislature that we think (or know) is downright stupid or the governor taking some action we think (or know) is crazy, and we become cynical. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Reimbursements for Oklahoma mental health providers under scrutiny from lawmakers: Lawmakers expressed concerns Monday about whether the state’s mental health department is adequately reimbursing a group of specialized providers who care for uninsured Oklahomans. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma mental health budget crisis continues without plan to cover delayed provider payments [KOSU]
- Oklahoma lawmakers concerned mental health agency funding issues could shut down clinics [The Oklahoman]
- Team investigating department of mental health speaks in front of legislative committee [KOCO]
- Mental Health Department supplemental figure possibly forthcoming [The Journal Record]
- Stitt taps attorney to investigate potential fraud at state mental health agency [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa’s mental health hospital project on track despite departmental turmoil [Tulsa World]
State Government News
Quit ‘monkeying around’ and pass tax cuts, Stitt tells Oklahoma Legislature: The Republican, who has ramped up his calls for income tax cuts in recent days, appeared to try to poke fun at lawmakers as he vetoed legislation creating a special license plate benefitting the Oklahoma City Zoo. [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: You shouldn’t have to touch a hot stove twice: Triggered tax cuts are bad for Oklahoma
Gov. Kevin Stitt signs 15 bills into law, vetoes 7: Gov. Kevin Stitt signed 15 bills into law on Saturday, including one that allows the Wildfire Conservation Commission to issue hunting permits for mountain lions and another affecting special education, while vetoing 7 bills. [KOCO]
Oklahoma Human Services extends child care accreditation deadlines following feedback: Oklahoma Human Services (DHS) is extending the deadline for certain licensed child care facilities to submit proof of an application for or achievement of national accreditation in response to stakeholder feedback. [KGOU]
Lawmaker, Oklahoma Transit Association work to address violence on public transit: A bill aiming to improve public transit safety is one step away from heading to Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk. The legislation states it’s a felony if someone disrupts service, or harms a transit system. [Fox 25]
ACLU asks federal court to toss Ryan Walters’ lawsuit over religious activity push in Oklahoma schools: Civil liberties groups are calling a lawsuit by the Oklahoma State Department of Education a direct attack on free speech after Superintendent Ryan Walters filed legal action against the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) for objecting to religious activity in public schools. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Federal Government News
Potential NOAA Cuts Are Already Giving One Oklahoma Lawmaker ‘Stomach Cramps’: Rep. Frank Lucas wasn’t familiar with proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget. But the very idea of it, given Oklahoma’s heavy reliance on its data because of its location in the heart of Tornado Alley, was already physically hurting him. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma’s small farms feel outsized impact from USDA grant cuts: The U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled a couple of programs providing tribal governments, states, schools and food banks money to buy locally produced food. Some farmers involved in the projects are looking to pivot their operations. [KOSU]
Human smuggling suspect did not own Oklahoma home at time of controversial raid, despite claims shared by DHS: Weeks after federal immigration agents raided an Oklahoma City home and removed a U.S. citizen and her daughters at gunpoint, News 4 has uncovered documents disproving a claim shared by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—which suggested the property was still owned by a woman indicted for human smuggling, at the time of the raid. [KFOR]
Tulsa welcomes 17 new U.S. citizens amid contentious immigration climate: Tulsa welcomed 17 people as new American citizens Thursday morning at city hall. The newly naturalized citizens, representing 12 countries of origin, swore their oaths in the city council chambers packed with family and friends to cheer them on. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Noem revokes temporary deportation protections for some Afghans in the U.S. [Oklahoma Voice]
An Oklahoma tribe and school district were to get NEA grants. Then they were ‘ghosted’: While Oklahoma nonprofits are among hundreds of arts organizations across the country to have their promised NEA Grants for Arts Projects canceled just months after they were announced, the two recent Sooner State recipients of NEA Challenge America grants — the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and Enid Public Schools — said the federal agency has simply cut contact. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion, Former Oklahoma Senate president pro tempore: Congressman Tom Cole should come back to Oklahoma for a town hall: All seven of our congressional delegation members are a disappointment, but Tom Cole tops the list. Worst of all he won’t come home in person to hold an open town hall to explain himself. [Former Oklahoma Senate president pro tempore Cal Hobson / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Tribal leaders gather at Capitol to honor Oklahoma Treaty Day: Tribal leaders, state lawmakers and community members gather at the Oklahoma Capitol on Tuesday, May 13, to mark “Oklahoma Treaty Day,” an event dedicated to honoring the historical and ongoing importance of tribal treaties. [News 9]
National Congress American Indians Releases Landmark Minority & Missing Report Highlighting Disparities in Missing Persons Cases: The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has officially released the highly anticipated Minority and Missing Report, a comprehensive analysis exposing the disproportionate impact of missing persons cases on Indigenous and other minority communities. [Native News Online]
KOSU wants to know what you learned about Oklahoma’s Indigenous history in school: This survey is part of a larger reporting project that will take Hallum to Germany to explore how tough subjects are approached there, and how it compares to Oklahoma’s approach to teaching Indigenous history. [KOSU]
- From OK Policy: Tribal-State Policy 101: Tribal Citizenship | Tribal-State Policy 101: What is Tribal sovereignty?
Education News
Oklahoma approves new online school to focus on struggling students: A virtual charter school aiming to someday serve thousands of Oklahoma students at risk of not finishing high school has been approved to open in 2026. The Statewide Charter School Board voted unanimously Monday in favor of establishing ThrivePoint Academy of Oklahoma. [Oklahoma Voice]
Glenpool Public Schools administrator resigns amid fight to get her certification reinstated: According to the personnel report posted with Monday night’s school board meeting agenda, Glenpool Assistant Superintendent Kim Coody has resigned, effective May 1. Her teaching certificate was suspended by the Oklahoma State Board of Education in December, and to date, she has not had a hearing. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Oklahoma could change charter school laws, embrace other forms of school choice: After Brown v. Board required public schools to desegregate, White parents responded by sending their children to private ― often religious ― schools that could exclude Black students. They used phrases like “school choice” and “parental rights” for the “freedom” not to send their children to integrated “government schools.” [Brian Broderick / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Plans to overhaul Oklahoma mental health hospital move forward: The state had planned to build a state-of-the art inpatient mental health facility, the Donahue Behavioral Health Campus near the Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City, but the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding voted to reallocate some of those funds to other projects. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma has some of the highest suicide rates in the U.S. A new report examines why: Oklahoma has a higher suicide rate than most other states, and it’s increasing faster than the national average. From 2013 to 2022, nearly 8,000 Oklahomans died by suicide, according to a new report examining data from the Oklahoma Violent Death Reporting System. That’s approximately two people every day, for the last ten years. [KOSU]
‘To carry on Sam’s spirit’: New Oklahoma nonprofit to fund adaptive equipment, activities: A new Oklahoma nonprofit is providing grants to cover equipment, activities and experiences for individuals with differing abilities. A portion of these dollars could also provide small grants and scholarships to nonprofits to support their efforts in serving this community. [KGOU]
Criminal Justice News
Convicted murderer dies after being found unresponsive at Oklahoma County jail: The Oklahoma County jail has had its seventh inmate death of 2025, matching the total who died all of last year. The jail in 2024 did not have its seventh death until December. [The Oklahoman]
- Investigation underway following Oklahoma County Jail inmate death [KFOR]
Larry Edwards, Muskogee County district attorney, found dead: Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Edwards was found dead at his home Monday during a Muskogee Police Department welfare check. A police spokesperson said Edwards’ death does not appear to be suspicious, although a medical examiner has yet to release a cause of death. [NonDoc]
- District attorney for Muskogee found dead; no foul play suspected, police say [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma inmates earn degrees through nation’s first prison divinity program: Through a partnership between Oklahoma Baptist University and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, more than two dozen incarcerated men earned their Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies. It’s the first four-year, in-prison divinity program of its kind in the United States. [News 9]
Palomar breaks ground on $42M MAPS 4 justice center: A crowd gathered in Midtown Oklahoma City Friday to witness the groundbreaking ceremony for Palomar’s new $42 million family justice center, a cornerstone project of the MAPS 4 initiative. The ceremony marked a pivotal moment for the organization that has served more than 29,000 survivors of domestic violence and provided more than 300,000 essential services since its inception. [The Journal Record]
Judge adds about 14 years to ‘ChiefsAholic’ prison time: A state judge on Monday ordered a Kansas City Chiefs fan known as “ChiefsAholic,” who was already serving federal prison time for robbing a Bixby credit union, to serve about 14 more years behind bars in state custody for the same robbery and related crimes. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Retail is up, but Oklahoma shopkeepers are struggling: Despite two decades of rising e-commerce, accelerated by pandemic shutdowns, recent trends suggest traditional retail is making a comeback, a new analysis of brick-and-mortar retail growth reveals. [The Journal Record]
Community News
Traditional ‘Tornado Alley’ is shifting eastward as climate changes, expert says: Arkansas, scientists say, is nearly in the bull’s eye of a new tornado-prone area that’s referred to as “Dixie Alley.” The region, which has seen a vast increase in tornadoes over the past several years, also encompasses Mississippi, Alabama and western Tennessee. [Oklahoma Voice]
Veteran Tulsa reporter talks on 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre research (audio): Last month, long-time Tulsa World reporter Randy Krehbiel published a new book about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. It’s a follow-up to a book published in 2019 that also deals with the massacre. Krehbiel sat down with KWGS’ Elizabeth Caldwell to talk about his work. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Black Wall Street Rally Returns To Greenwood, May 15-17 [The Oklahoman Eagle]
This OKC food program that started during the pandemic is still going strong. Here’s how: The Community Market OKC’s free food distribution program offered by St. Luke’s Methodist Church, in partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and other community partners, recently passed the five-year mark and staff and volunteers said there is a reason why it has continued. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- 22-acre Strawberry Fields site listed for sale in OKC [The Journal Record]
- OKC has so far remained silent on crumbling downtown sidewalks and broken lights [The Oklahoman]
- Ammunition company to invest $300 million, bring 350 jobs to MidAmerica Industrial Park [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa City councilor makes another request for 911 data after seeing response time on fatal wreck [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“This is not religious freedom; it is exclusion in the name of religion.”
– Former Oklahoma City Public Schools teacher Brian Broderick, writing in an op-ed arguing against the creation of religious charter schools, such as the proposed St. Isidore Catholic Virtual School, the subject of a current U.S. Supreme Court case. Broderick argued that publicly funded religious schools could undermine the inclusive foundation of American public education and echo past efforts to use “school choice” as a tool for exclusion during the Civil Rights Movement. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
88
A worker in Oklahoma earning minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) would need to work 88 hours per week to afford a modest one-bedroom rental at Fair Market Rate in the state. [National Low Income Housing Coalition]
Policy Note
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
