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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.
New from OK Policy
Oklahoma’s housing crisis met with legislative silence this session: For thousands of Oklahomans, the dream of a stable home is collapsing. Fast, cheap evictions, no real tenant protections, and rising housing costs have turned a basic human need into a daily crisis. Legislators had a number of policy solutions at their fingertips this session — yet they chose virtually none of them. [Sabine Brown / OK Policy]
OK Policy selected for 2026–2028 Eviction Data Response Network Cohort: Over the next two years, OK Policy and 10 other organizations around the U.S. will work with New America’s Future of Land and Housing program to build comprehensive eviction data systems and assemble cross-sector problem-solving teams to leverage this data to move the needle on eviction prevention. [New America]
Oklahoma News
Out-of-State Group Tests Oklahoma Law With Cruise for Political Donation Sweepstakes: A Wyoming-based organization is testing Oklahoma law by attempting a cruise sweepstakes for people who contribute at least $50 to one of their preferred political candidates in the state’s 2026 election cycle. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion, Oklahoma Labor Commissioner: SQ 832 is about conservative promise that work should pay: I’ve spent 18 years in elected office as an Oklahoma Republican. Ten of those years I spent in the state House, where I chaired the Appropriations Committee and wrote the state budget, and the last eight as your Republican labor commissioner. Throughout that time, I’ve fought for conservative principles: limited government, personal responsibility and the dignity of work. So when I tell you I’m voting Yes on State Question 832 to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage, I want you to know it comes from those very principles. [Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn / The Oklahoman]
State Government News
New law favoring PSO, OG&E draws court challenge: A new law passed by the Oklahoma Legislature but opposed by all three members of the state Corporation Commission has been formally challenged in court. [Tulsa World]
- 5 things to know about PSO’s plans to expand capacity, handle data centers [Tulsa World]
New law targets stronger support for childcare centers: A Tulsa lawmaker co-authored legislation that passed with bipartisan support this year to boost childcare centers in the state. The bill, signed into law recently by the governor, should make it easier for childcare centers to meet staffing requirements. It also will provide centers with more flexibility to make ends meet financially. [Tulsa World]
Capitol Insider: Oklahoma Supreme Court case affirms need to follow legal procedures: Gov. Kevin Stitt scored a victory in the Oklahoma Supreme Court when it sided with his argument in a case involving a City of Tulsa agreement with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation regarding jurisdiction over possible municipal violations by tribal members. [KGOU]
Opinion: Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board members deserve a raise. House members prefer to do nothing: While the Oklahoma House was wasting time “waiting,” across the state, tens of thousands of inmates and countless numbers of families on the outside, were waiting on the House to take action on a bill that would have helped move our criminal justice system a step closer toward operating at maximum efficiency. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
D.C. Digest: Oklahoma’s federal funding surges: Oklahomans may hate the federal government, but they don’t seem to mind letting Uncle Sam pick up the tab. Pew Research reported Oklahoma enjoyed the nation’s largest increase in federal funds during fiscal years 2019-24, rising 96.8%, or almost doubling. [Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Cherokee Nation seeks centuries of Principal Chief records, asks citizens for input: The Cherokee Nation is seeking records from its Office of the Principal Chief dating back to 1827. The tribe is asking citizens to help reclaim them. [KOSU]
Tribal leaders hope for a better relationship with next Oklahoma governor: Tribal leaders say they hope Oklahoma’s next governor is willing to work with them. They had hoped the same for Gov. Kevin Stitt when he was elected in 2018. He gained national attention as one of the first tribal citizens to become governor of any state. But two terms and countless disputes later, state-tribal relations are at a standstill under Stitt, a Cherokee Nation citizen. He has disagreed with tribal leaders over everything from gaming to taxes to tribal sovereignty. [The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
GOP gubernatorial candidates talk tribes, schools, health care and corruption in debate: In a 90-minute debate that featured “cheap shots” over voting records and campaign claims, Oklahoma’s four leading Republican gubernatorial candidates revealed places of policy disagreement about public broadcasting and mental health care. [NonDoc]
- GOP candidates say income tax cuts would end Oklahoma’s corporate exodus [The Oklahoman]
- Republican Gubernatorial Candidates Want to Keep Agency Head Appointment Power [Oklahoma Watch]
- Republican candidates for Oklahoma governor disagree on OETA extension [Oklahoma Voice]
- Republican frontrunners spar at debate before Oklahoma governor’s primary [The Oklahoman]
- Gentner Drummond embraces military, legal experience in quest for Oklahoma governor [Oklahoma Voice]
- Who is Gentner Drummond? AG touts record in heated governor’s race [The Oklahoman]
- ‘Tremendous honor’: Donald Trump endorses Mike Mazzei for governor of Oklahoma [NonDoc]
- President Trump endorses Mike Mazzei for Oklahoma governor [The Oklahoman]
- Trump wades into governor’s race, endorses Mazzei [Tulsa World]
Munson, Johnson compete in Oklahoma Democratic race for governor: The two leading Democratic candidates acknowledge how difficult winning Oklahoma’s top elected office will be in a majority red state. They are trying to reach voters on issues that cross party lines, such as economic affordability. They also share an interest in criminal justice reform and improving the state’s bottom-of-the-barrel K-12 educational system. [The Oklahoman]
As 3 compete for district judge in Kay County and Noble County, candidate sues over election law: With one candidate filing a federal lawsuit to challenge an Oklahoma law barring judicial candidates from making their political affiliation publicly known, the normally quiet race to be the district judge of Kay and Noble counties could lead to a precedent-establishing decision altering future elections for the bench. [NonDoc]
Election Roundup
- Hern leads crowded U.S. Senate field; all five congressional districts have primaries [Tulsa World]
- Cheat sheet: Democrats face off in 2nd, 3rd, 4th Congressional District primaries [NonDoc]
- Cheat sheet: Brecheen, Lucas, Cole try to defend CD 2, CD 3, CD 4 seats in OKGOP primary [NonDoc]
- Reading tops campaign talk for Oklahoma’s state superintendent [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma County assessor: Larry Stein, Ferlin Kearns wage war in GOP primary [NonDoc]
- Free candidate forums coming to Tulsa ahead of Oklahoma primaries [Tulsa Flyer]
- Political notebook: Gubernatorial, state superintendent candidates at TU this week [Tulsa World]
- Meet the candidates in Tulsa-area legislative races [Tulsa World]
Education News
Oklahoma colleges and universities can propose 90-hour bachelor’s degrees: Higher education officials on Friday approved new policies that could soon open the door for some Oklahoma students to obtain select college degrees in as few as three years. [Oklahoma Voice]
- State regents approve performance-based funding formula, shorter degree program framework [NonDoc]
Tulsa Public Schools hired a third-party firm to help with the budget deficit. It told them to close schools: When Tulsa Public Schools has faced shrinking enrollment and funding challenges, time and time again it’s closed or consolidated schools. As the district faces its latest budget shortfall, records show TPS is considering a recommendation to close more. [Tulsa Flyer]
Tulsa-area schools resume summer meals with food insecurity worse than in 2020: Although classes are out, many area school cafeterias are still dishing up pancakes, chicken nuggets and carrot sticks. [Tulsa World]
Justice System News
“Covered Up Quick”: How a Fatal Panhandle Crash Involving a Drug Task Force Officer Was Investigated: An investigation by reporters with Oklahoma Watch and The Oklahoman, one that was stalled by a months-long court battle for open records and stymied by systematic denials of requests for interviews with those who could fill in the gaps of what happened, provide the clearest look yet at the accident and its aftermath and raise troubling questions about law enforcement’s response to a tragic accident involving one of their own and an immigrant family. [Oklahoma Watch] | [The Oklahoman]
- What happened in fatal crash in No Man’s Land? Timeline shows scattered response [The Oklahoman]
Wife claims Oklahoma inmate is being denied care after stabbing: The wife and supporters of an inmate assaulted inside an Oklahoma prison are calling for an independent investigation after they say he was transferred into a hostile environment despite warnings he would be at risk. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: OK needs to help former inmates successfully reintegrate: Oklahoma has long been a leader in criminal justice reform. During his time in office, Gov. Kevin Stitt has supported numerous second chance bills that remove barriers for returning residents — including the Sarah Stitt Act — in addition to laws regarding court-ordered fines and fees. Recently, he signed House Bill 4113, clarifying voting rights for people with a criminal record. [Sarah Henry / The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
How big tech construction affects Oklahoma’s labor market: Data center construction is offering a temporary boost to labor markets in Oklahoma and across the country, but the biggest facilities often employ fewer people than many might assume. A recent report from research firm Staffing Industry Analysts stated the infrastructure boom is reversing a multi-year post-pandemic decline in temporary hiring. However, once facilities are up and running, that job growth may be fleeting. [The Journal Record]
Pricier oil amid Iran war not an automatic economic benefit for Oklahoma, experts say: Higher oil prices amid the Iran war may not translate into the betterment of Oklahoma’s overall economy, two Oklahoma City-based economists said. [Tulsa World]
Community News
Greenwood District events mark 105th anniversary of Tulsa Race Massacre: One hundred five years ago Sunday evening, one of the deadliest and most destructive incidents of racial violence in U.S. history began to unfold in downtown Tulsa. [Tulsa World]
- Greenwood Rising marks five years of keeping Black Wall Street history alive [Tulsa World]
To raise funds for immigrant services, this Tulsa group is launching a fashion show: The American Dream Center, an organization offering low-cost services to Tulsa immigrants, will host a fashion show Thursday in hopes of raising funds and becoming more financially stable this year. [Tulsa Flyer]
Retired pastor fights Southern Baptist proposal to ban female clergy: A retired Enid pastor is making waves by challenging a prominent Southern Baptist leader’s proposal regarding female pastors in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- How much have Tulsa taxpayers spent on Route 66 projects? City docs show it’s not always clear. [Tulsa Flyer]
- Edmond council poised to OK growing budget, but not without criticism [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“A worker clocks 40 hours a week, does everything right and still has to rely on a government program to feed their kids. That’s not the system conservatives believe in. We believe a hard day’s work should be enough for a person to stand on their own two feet. Right now, in Oklahoma, it isn’t.”
-Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn, who has spent 18 years in elected office as an Oklahoma Republican, writing about her support for State Question 832, which would raise the state’s minimum wage. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: SQ 832 Information and Resources
Number of the Day
$15,650
The federal poverty threshold for annual earnings for a single, working adult. An Oklahoman working full time at the state’s minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) would earn $15,080 per year, which is would be below the official poverty threshold. [U.S. Health and Human Services]
Policy Note
Myths vs. facts about the minimum wage: Since the 1938 enactment of the federal minimum wage as a core pillar of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), policymakers in Congress and later in dozens of states, cities, and counties, have adopted hundreds of minimum wage policies—setting wage floors across and within industries, at varying levels of geography (national, state, and local), and applying in different ways to different groups of workers and employers. This abundance of experience across a wide range of jurisdictions and industries has provided ample opportunity to understand how minimum wage policies—and the failure to adjust them—affect workers, employers, and the economy. Debates surrounding the minimum wage have also generated consistent and pervasive myths about the policy. These are the facts. [Economic Policy Institute]
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