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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
What Oklahoma House members want to study this interim (Capitol Update): The deadline for House of Representatives members to request interim studies was last Friday, and the House has now published those requests. In the House, studies must be approved by the Speaker, which is expected to happen before July 24th. Studies are usually assigned to a relevant standing committee and held in August, September, or October. Their length is determined by the committee chair, but they typically last two to four hours. In rare cases, a study may last all day or span multiple days. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
PSO is adding $11 to your electricity bill while awaiting approval for another rate increase: Hot days are ahead, and your electricity bill isn’t cooling down. The Public Service Company of Oklahoma will charge an estimated $11 more to your monthly bill starting July 1 through an interim rate increase. This comes as part of the ongoing rate case filed in January, in which the utility is asking for an extra $25 a month. That request is currently being reviewed by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. [Tulsa Flyer]
- Large load tariff could result in significantly amended request for PSO rate hike [Tulsa World]
State Government News
Oklahoma Health Care Authority board approves balanced budget despite funding gaps: The Oklahoma Health Care Authority board approved a balanced budget Friday despite receiving only half of its requested funding increase during this year’s legislative session. Budget cuts and modifications are leaving the state Medicaid agency with “razor-thin margins” as it enters the 2027 fiscal year. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
State, federal agencies not following law in Oklahoma turnpike expansion, lawsuit alleges: An anti-turnpike group has sued the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and four federal agencies, asking a judge to stop a portion of a massive toll road expansion and improvement project. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma education, foster care bills take effect July 1: More than 100 new laws take effect Wednesday. Many deal with the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget, which begins July 1. Other measures though are expected to impact public schools, employee pay and youth in foster care. Here’s a breakdown of some of the higher-profile measures that take effect Wednesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Trump taps former Oklahoma trooper to head ICE, critics question qualifications: President Donald Trump said he is nominating former Oklahoma trooper Lance Schroyer to serve as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The selection of Schroyer further expands Oklahoma’s connection to federal immigration operations, deepening roots in ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. [The Oklahoman]
- Former Oklahoma trooper nominated by Trump to head up ICE [Oklahoma Voice]
- Former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper is Trump pick to head ICE [Tulsa World]
- Trump nominates former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer to lead ICE [The Journal Record]
Mullin shares border wall, detention facility plans during tense hearing: Another week, another contentious moment for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. This one involved literal finger-pointing during a House subcommittee hearing and an admonition of Mullin by the Republican chairman. [Tulsa World]
Moderate US House Dem group questions USDA’s Rollins over screwworm response: Members of the New Democrat Coalition asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday to provide fresh details about the nation’s screwworm outbreak and demanded that the Trump administration allocate more resources to containing the spread. [Oklahoma Voice]
Supreme Court Roundup
- Birthright citizenship upheld as Supreme Court deals Trump a loss: Live updates [The Oklahoman]
- US Supreme Court deals blow to Trump, ruling states can accept ballots after Election Day [Oklahoma Voice]
- US Supreme Court in Virginia case says police need warrants for cellphone location data [Oklahoma Voice]
- High court issues split decisions on Trump’s control of executive board members [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Happy Birthday America! Your Constitution is in need of change: Our Constitution, which sets forth the framework for our government, wasn’t approved until 1789, when it replaced an initial effort, the Articles of Confederation. And another replacement might be needed before another 250 years go by if our Constitution can’t be amended against mounting threats to our democracy. [Joseph Thai / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Caddo Nation paves way for Tribal courts, opening up more land leases: Caddo Nation is taking steps toward self-governance. It’s planning a Tribal court system and can now oversee lease agreements without the need for federal approval. [KOSU]
Health News
“More People Sick or Dying”: After Five Years of Sterile Syringe Distributions, Harm Reduction Law Set to Expire: In five years, harm-reduction organizations distributed hundreds of thousands of sterile needles and syringes to drug users across Oklahoma, potentially saving lives and significantly reducing viral infection rates. The state law protecting the organizations from criminal prosecution sunsets July 1, effectively grinding the work to a halt. [Oklahoma Watch]
Justice System News
Payne County Grand Jury petition quashed after erroneous approval: After learning he had used an incorrect formula to determine signature sufficiency, Oklahoma County District Judge Richard Ogden issued an order Monday canceling his prior order to convene a grand jury in Payne County. By his revised determination that the petition failed to achieve the necessary number of signatures, Ogden’s new order could be a fatal setback for the grand jury petition seeking a sweeping investigation into former District Attorney Laura Thomas while alleging a conspiracy involving the state’s child services division. [NonDoc]
Trial date set in Betty Shelby case as she seeks appeal before U.S. Supreme Court: While she is still pursuing an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court, a judge has set a civil trial date for former Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby, who fatally shot Terence Crutcher in 2016. [Tulsa World]
Surveillance or safety? OKC City Council to consider automated license plate reader contract renewal: Oklahoma City has contracted with Flock Safety to capture vehicle data on public roads since 2023, aiming to solve crimes more quickly. But critics say the company facilitates mass surveillance. [KOSU]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
City of Tulsa launches its pre-approved housing plans program: The city on Tuesday rolled out a program it says will make it simpler and faster to build a home. Anyone paying attention to the talk in local development circles the past few decades knows that’s a big deal. [Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- After the city manager’s suspension and mayor’s resignation, another Bixby administrator is out of a job [Tulsa Flyer]
- Coweta police chief clears city officials over now-dead data center [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“I think it is important for us to communicate diplomatically, kindly, but forcibly to our friends on the fourth floor of the state Capitol building … that this is a problem that they are going to have to solve. And there are only so many efficiencies that we can, as an agency, achieve. But at the end of the day, sometimes it comes down to just how much cold hard cash are you going to give us to do our job?”
-Clark Jolley, Oklahoma Health Care Authority board member, pointing out that state legislators will need to address funding for the agency, which has drawn down its cash reserves to use for its annual budget. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Number of the Day
–13%
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority requested $1.9 billion from the state legislature for Fiscal Year 2027, which begins on July 1, 2026. Lawmakers appropriated $1.66 billion, which is 13% less than what the agency requested. [Oklahoma House of Representatives Budget Portal]
Policy Note
New Federal Medicaid Policies Compound State Budget Pressures: Medicaid—the health care provider for roughly 1 in 5 Americans and the largest single source of federal funding for state governments—is entering a period of major change that could reshape state budgets for years to come. State policymakers must now manage the budgetary and operational impacts of some of the most sweeping revisions in Medicaid’s 60-year history—changes enacted through H.R. 1, the federal budget reconciliation law passed last July—while also contending with substantial and growing underlying cost pressures. [Pew Charitable Trusts]
- From OK Policy: H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act)
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