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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
Policy Matters: Oklahoma should stop settling for less: America used to dream big and take big swings. We built interstate highways that linked our towns and changed how we live and work. We created Social Security and Medicare so people could have peace of mind as they got older. Oklahoma has thought big, too. But in recent years, our ambitions have gotten smaller. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
State Government News
Ryan Walters, top adviser settle lawsuits with fired state employees: Taxpayers will cover $132,000 in lawsuit settlements owed to two fired Oklahoma State Department of Education employees who sued former state Superintendent Ryan Walters and his senior adviser. [Oklahoma Voice]
Candidate Attendance, Residency Disputes, and Apartment Agony (podcast): Paul Monies examines a Republican gubernatorial candidate’s surprising board attendance record, while reporter J.C. Hallman breaks down the legal questions surrounding an Insurance Commissioner candidate’s swift state residency swap. Plus, Jake Ramsey details severe property mismanagement at Vesta Realty and how it’s leaving local tenants in the lurch. [Oklahoma Watch]
Editorial: Oklahoma Gov. Stitt’s tone-deaf views on poverty and SNAP: Last week, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that 97,000 Oklahomans were no longer receiving support from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), mostly because of eligibility changes made by the Trump administration, Gov. Kevin Stitt offered some tone-deaf comments. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
Federal Government News
Citing a hunger ‘crisis,’ Oklahoma City mayor, over 200 others call for end to federal SNAP cuts: The 210 mayors who signed a letter to Senate leaders said they are on the “front lines of a deepening food security crisis” and said the federal government should be expanding access to food, not creating new obstacles. [Oklahoma Voice]
Trump admin. suspends $1B in Medicaid payments over fraud claims: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the suspension of more than $1 billion in combined Medicaid payments to Minnesota and California, citing alleged fraud. The move is the latest in a series of paused federal payments. [KSWO]
Republicans in US House approve stopgap spending bill ahead of Oct. 1 deadline: The U.S. House approved a stopgap spending bill Tuesday that would keep the government up and running through the fall, sending it to the Senate, where lawmakers expect to rework the measure. [Oklahoma Voice]
USDA reversal on crop insurance change welcomed by farm groups: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reversing course on a change to a federal crop insurance policy to allow farmers to buy more protection if weather or field conditions prevent them from planting a crop. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Historic Federal Oral History Project Concludes in Tulsa, Oklahoma After 22 Stops Across Indian Country: The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition has completed the U.S. Department of the Interior’s nationwide Oral History Project, preserving the testimonies of 383 Indian boarding school survivors for future generations. [Native News Online]
Voting and Election News
Election Roundup
- Oklahoma primary runoffs are Aug. 25. Here are other dates voters need to know [Tulsa World]
- Senate District 24: Jon Painter, Robert Keyes talk taxes, schools, #okleg dynamics [NonDoc]
- SD 26 runoff: Rick Koch, Jessica Winegeart face off with funding gap, contrasting profiles [NonDoc]
- City councilors approve resolution calling Nov. 3 vote on proposed hotel/motel tax increase [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa City Council District 5 race: Incumbent Karen Gilbert challenged by attorney Adam Burnett [Tulsa Flyer]
Education News
Education Watch: New AI-Powered Private School Won’t Qualify for Tax Credit Program This Year: Alpha initially appeared on the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s list of approved private schools, despite having an out-of-state address. Schools approved for the program are supposed to be accredited. How, we wondered, was it possible to accredit a school that isn’t even open yet? [Oklahoma Watch]
What Vaccines Are Required for Oklahoma Students in the 2026-27 School Year?: Under Oklahoma law, children attending school or licensed child care must provide proof of immunization or have an approved exemption on file before attending classes. [News 9]
Why experts say this moment is ripe for student loan scams: Experts are warning of a fresh uptick in student loan scams right now, as fraudsters seek to prey on borrowers’ fears of skyrocketing payments. As student loan repayment rules shifted during the pandemic and forgiveness appeared to move in and out of reach to millions of borrowers, scam attempts soared. [PBS News]
Health News
Oklahoma’s Ballyhooed Naloxone Vending Machine Program is Gone, Leaving Communities Scrambling to Fill the Gap: Organizations that have taken over what is left of the vending machine program are uncertain about how they will maintain prolonged access to overdose prevention resources. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma records 170 ‘explosive diarrhea’ cyclosporiasis cases as spike continues: Oklahoma’s cyclosporiasis cases, the parasitic infection that causes stomach cramping and “explosive diarrhea,” have more than doubled since last week. [Oklahoma Voice]
FDA egg recall includes Oklahoma after Salmonella concerns: More than 1.5 million cartons of eggs are being recalled due to salmonella concerns, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration reports. According to the FDA, Midway Poultry Services issued the recall due to salmonella contamination. [News on 6]
Justice System News
Brent Swadley asks judge to step down from fraud sentencing: Restaurateur Brent Swadley wants a different judge to decide his punishment and restitution in his fraud case. His trial judge was set to conduct his formal sentencing on Wednesday, July 22, but he asked her to step down from his case. [The Oklahoman]
OK County sheriff, others could be sanctioned if inmate transports stop again: If Sheriff Tommie Johnson III stops transporting Oklahoma County jail inmates to court and back again, as he did on May 11, bringing 35 judges’ work to halt, District Judge Sheila D. Stinson said he could be held in contempt. [The Oklahoman]
Myles Davidson appeals protective order to Oklahoma Supreme Court: Former Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson, who resigned in March amid accusations of sexual misconduct, has appealed a three-year victim’s protective order issued against him by a Cleveland County judge to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsans have nearly 130K outstanding warrants. Here’s your chance to clear some of them.: For Tulsans who have warrants or citations, the city is offering a chance to clear them without the fear of being arrested. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
OKC’s Seventh-Highest Evictor Is A Mobile Home Park Pushing Rent-to-Own Deals: Residents at the Westmoor Mobile Home Park, owned by the out-of-state company YES! Communities, are facing serial evictions, leaving them stuck at the park, unable to move up the proverbial economic ladder. And the park is pushing tenants into rent-to-own deals that legal experts contend are little more than a profitable scheme that rarely benefits tenants. [News on 6]
Oklahoma City approves $5 million for affordable housing: Bond money approved by voters in 2025 to boost affordable housing in Oklahoma City is set to be used to provide $5 million in low-interest loans to assist in redevelopment of one existing, run-down apartment complex and construction of new housing. [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
Tax-free weekend is coming up in Oklahoma. Dates, what items qualify.: Tax-free weekend in Oklahoma is always a major shopping day, typically in connection with back-to-school preparations. The event usually occurs on the first weekend in August when the state waives the collection of sales tax on some items throughout the three days. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Sales Tax Holiday — What’s That?
Community News
Community members to honor Clara Luper through new civil rights center: Under a bright tent, more than 100 people patiently waited out of the sun as Marilyn Luper Hildreth, the daughter of late civil rights pioneer Clara Luper, walked to the stage. In front of the stage, shovels stood in a pile of dirt to symbolize the Wednesday, July 22, groundbreaking of the Clara Luper Civil Rights Center. [The Oklahoman]
- Watch community members break ground on Clara Luper Civil Rights Center [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Rare magnitude 5.1 earthquake shakes Oklahoma, Texas panhandles [The Oklahoman]
- What is ONE Transit’s role in adapting to the Oklahoma City metro’s rapid growth? [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
- Oklahoma City picks local builder for new mental health crisis center [The Oklahoman]
- Manna CEO answers Tulsans’ questions about drone delivery, safety, privacy [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“You would think after serving as governor for nearly eight years, Stitt would recognize the reality that Oklahoma has one of the biggest populations of poor people in the country and that many do in fact go to bed hungry in spite of the efforts of many ordinary residents who generously donate to food banks.”
—The Oklahoman Editorial Board writing in response to the governor’s recent comments, where he implied that Oklahomans who utilize SNAP benefits were abusing the program and suggested that the program should carry more stigma. Stitt’s comments came after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 97,000 Oklahomans were no longer receiving support from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), mostly because of eligibility changes made by the Trump administration. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
686,800
Number of Oklahomans helped by SNAP benefits in 2024, which is 17 percent of the state’s population (or 1 in 6). [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
Policy Note
H.R. 1’s Key Harms to Oklahoma: HR 1, also referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Congress and was signed by President Trump in July 2025. HR 1 severely cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), harming the thousands of Oklahoma residents who rely on this program for food. [Hunger Free Oklahoma]
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