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.
Oklahoma News
Federal judge temporarily blocks Oklahoma immigration law: An Oklahoma City federal judge on Tuesday put a two-week hold on the state’s enforcement of a law criminalizing immigrants living in Oklahoma without legal residency. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Judge blocks enforcement of ‘impermissible occupation’ law targeting illegal immigrants [Tulsa World]
- Court pauses controversial Oklahoma immigration law that adds ‘impermissible occupation’ charge [The Oklahoman]
- US judge pauses enforcement of Oklahoma immigration law [Reuters]
Opinion: Attempts to overhaul the initiative petition process are a direct attack on Oklahomans’ rights: I’ve seen a lot of change in our state — some for better, some for worse — but one thing that has remained consistent is this: when politicians ignore the will of the people, Oklahomans have always had a powerful tool to create change directly and solve the biggest problems in their lives — the right to the initiative petition process. That’s why efforts to cripple the initiative petition process, like Senate Bill 1027 are so dangerous. [Amber England / Oklahoma Voice]
State Government News
Oklahoma income tax cut bill clears first hurdle, sets stage for future reductions: The Oklahoma House on Tuesday advanced a measure to lower the state’s income tax despite concerns it would have little impact on residents. House Bill 2764 creates a process for ultimately eliminating the state’s income tax when revenues hit certain triggers. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Budget bills barrel forward as Oklahoma Legislature heads toward home [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma House passes general appropriations bill for FY26, heads to Senate [Fox 25]
- From OK Policy: You shouldn’t have to touch a hot stove twice: Triggered tax cuts are bad for Oklahoma | Oklahoma has seen how triggered tax cuts hurt state finances. Why is #okleg trying a third time? (Video)
Audit confirms Oklahoma mental health department needs $30M: An audit by Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s office found the state mental health department has a $30 million budget hole. The governor selected long-time CPA David Greenwell to examine the agency’s financial operations. Greenwell’s audit report, dated May 15, lists recommendations to improve accuracy, compliance and accountability in managing mental health services across state-owned and private facilities. [The Journal Record]
- Mental health department has ‘glaring’ issues, Oklahoma state auditor reports [Oklahoma Voice]
- Report: Mental Health Department employees ‘discouraged’ from cooperating with audit [Tulsa World]
- Armed security, threats to employees: Report describes disarray in mental health agency leadership [The Oklahoman]
Thousands of State Employees Still Working Remotely Despite Return-to-Office Order: Almost 8,000 state employees out of the 26,000 covered in a report for the first quarter came under one of several exceptions to the return-to-office mandate. Most of those employees were at agencies that didn’t have the office space to accommodate a full return to the office. [Oklahoma Watch]
Some barbers, hairstylists oppose governor’s dissolution of cosmetology board: Stitt vetoed House Bill 1030, which would have extended the life of the board through June 2028. The board is in charge of licensing and regulating beauticians and barbers in the state. In his veto message, Stitt argued the board needs to be more transparent and responsive, and should be reorganized. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Hairstylists plan Capitol protest after Stitt veto eliminates state cosmetology board [KFOR]
Oklahoma governor’s veto shuts down agency responsible for funeral regulations: The veto means the state’s funeral industry could be left without oversight or regulation, according to the executive director of Oklahoma’s Funeral Board. [KGOU]
Opinion: You can’t say we’re not a Top 10 state in wacky government performances: If there are words to describe what went on in the final weeks of this year’s session, they would have to include ― Astonishing. Incredible. Unsettling. [William C. Wertz / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
‘It is a fight’: Patients, OB-GYNs and sexual health advocates determined to stop Medicaid cuts: Millions who could lose access to sexual and reproductive health care as congressional Republicans work to pass a budget bill that would cut federal support for Medicaid, the program that provides health insurance to millions of low-income Americans, by $625 billion over the next 10 years. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Rural Oklahoma hospitals could lose vital services with Medicaid cuts, expert says [KOCO]
- Opinion: Oklahoma could see a $2.5B tab if Medicaid funding is cut [Jeremy Jones / The Oklahoman]
RFK Jr. insists upcoming ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report won’t target farming: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before Congress on Tuesday that a major report due out later this week from his agency will not disparage farmers or a commonly used pesticide. [Oklahoma Voice]
More tornadoes and fewer meteorologists make for a dangerous mix: As nasty tornadoes popped up from Kansas to Kentucky, a depleted National Weather Service was in scramble mode. The agency’s office in Jackson, Kentucky, had begun closing nightly as deep cuts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency began hitting. But the weather service kept staffers on overtime Friday night to stay on top of the deadly storms, which killed nearly 20 people in the Jackson office’s forecast area. [AP via The Journal Record]
IRS nominee Billy Long probed by Democrats over nonexistent tribal tax credits: Senators tasked with tax writing split along party lines Tuesday praising and grilling former Republican U.S. Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Internal Revenue Service. Democratic senators on the panel have also called for an investigation into Long’s work with a company that peddled nonexistent tribal tax credits. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: $300M in conservation projects in OK in limbo due to unpaid federal funding: Communities in the rural areas of Oklahoma have seen their downtown areas revitalized and new businesses flourish because they were able to save their iconic architecture. The president’s recently released proposed budget calls for eliminating the Historic Preservation Fund altogether, which would cripple Oklahoma’s state office. [Trait Thompson / The Oklahoman]
Education News
Paxton reverses course, carries Michael Tinney OSBE nomination in lieu of Standridge: During likely the last Senate Education Committee meeting of regular session, three more appointees to the Oklahoma State Board of Education — Michael Tinney, Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson — saw their nominations advance Tuesday despite drama at past board meetings and a senator’s refusal to carry Tinney’s nomination. [NonDoc]
- Nominees to Oklahoma State Board of Education advance toward Senate confirmation [Oklahoma Voice]
- After months of turmoil, Senate committee approves Stitt’s OSBE nominations: How we got here [The Oklahoman]
- Senate committee advances nominations for Oklahoma state education board [KOSU]
- New State Board of Education members’ nominations advance to full Senate [Tulsa World]
Health News
‘Take action now’: Oklahoma healthcare providers launch program to combat measles outbreak: As a measles outbreak continues to impact Oklahoma, healthcare providers say they’re launching a program to help schools fight the spread. Doctors created an informative toolkit to explain the importance of all vaccines during the measles outbreak. [Fox 25]
Oklahoma Senate Advances Groundbreaking Hospital Price Transparency Bill to Governor’s Desk: Oklahoma is poised to revolutionize the way hospital prices are disclosed following the state senate’s recent approval of significant price transparency reform legislation. Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, championed the final passage of Senate Bill 889, a move that mandates hospitals to make their pricing for common services publicly available in a user-friendly format. [Hoodline]
Criminal Justice News
114 adults, 40 youths arrested in alleged street racing bust in OKC: Officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department arrested 114 adults and 40 minors in connection to what police described as a “street takeover” for an “illegal speed contest” near SE 66th Street and Interstate 35. [The Oklahoman]
- ‘A witch hunt’: Community leaders outraged after 154 arrested at OKC birthday party [KOCO]
Scammers love sending victims to Bitcoin ATMs. Here’s how Oklahoma is fighting back: To help combat a multibillion dollar scam industry that lures victims into turning their dollars into cryptocurrency, Oklahoma has taken a big step toward regulating a key hub for that criminal activity — cryptocurrency ATMs. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
OKC approves accessory dwelling units ordinance to boost housing options: An ordinance that promotes the development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to increase affordable housing and density in the urban core won City Council approval Tuesday after more than a year in the making. [The Journal Record]
- OKC Council approves ordinance allowing guesthouses: What to know if you’re a homeowner [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Ending single-family zoning would help close Oklahoma’s housing gap
Long Story Short: Hail Storms Do Not Explain Oklahoma’s Outrageous Homeowners’ Insurance Rates (audio): J.C. Hallman discusses maintenance problems at an Oklahoma City apartment complex. M. Scott Carter on Stitt’s veto of a bill that would slow the eviction process. J.C. on his investigation of Oklahoma’s high homeowners’ insurance rates. [Oklahoma Watch]
Community News
Black Tulsans still feel effects of Greenwood neighborhood’s ‘second destruction’: Over generations, Black Americans have been blocked from acquiring and passing on homes, businesses and the wealth they represent: by Jim Crow violence and segregation and, after World War II, by highway-building and urban renewal that ravaged thriving Black neighborhoods. That played out in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as it did in many other American cities. [KGOU]
City Year Tulsa mobilizes volunteers MLK Day of Service: On May 28, City Year Tulsa will lead its annual MLK Day of Service—not in January, but in the heat of spring. By hosting the event in May, the organization ensures that AmeriCorps members, community partners, and neighbors across Tulsa can show up in full force to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with action. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa sets new population record in latest Census report. Broken Arrow adds 3,000 people [Tulsa World]
- OKC reviews early designs for two MAPS 4 projects [The Journal Record]
- Paycom Center hosting Thunder watch parties for Western Conference finals away games [News 9]
- Norman City Council approves phasing plan for entertainment district [KGOU]
Quote of the Day
“I think people would rather have daycare. I think people would rather have health care. I think people would rather have good roads.”
– Rep. Ellen Pogemiller (Oklahoma City), questioning the House’s passage of HB 2764, which reduces Oklahoma’s personal income tax by 0.25% and creates a process for ultimately eliminating the state’s income tax when revenues hit certain triggers. Average Oklahomans will see a benefit of a few dollars per week at the expense of hundreds of millions in state revenue used to fund services we all rely on. [Oklahoma Voice]
Number of the Day
24
Number of Oklahoma hospitals at immediate risk of closing due to financial pressures caused by a combination of losses on patient services, insufficient revenues from other sources to offset losses, and low financial reserves. This represents more than 3 in 10 Oklahoma hospitals. Oklahoma had the nation’s second highest number of hospitals at immediate risk. [Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform]
Policy Note
Hundreds of rural hospitals are at risk of closing, threatening critical care: Hundreds of hospitals in rural parts of the United States are in danger of closing because they can no longer afford to stay open, according to a new report. A primary reason is low reimbursement rates from elderly patients’ Medicare and Medicaid coverage, which can make up most of rural hospital’s budgets. Hospitals in urban areas, meanwhile, get significantly more reimbursement from their patients who have private insurance, which tends to pay more. Congressional Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid could leave more than 8.5 million people uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and force even more rural hospitals to close. [CBS News]
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
