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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.
Oklahoma News
Federal court upholds Oklahoma ban on gender-affirming care for minors: A federal appeals court has upheld Oklahoma’s ban on gender-affirming procedures for minors. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which represents the region of Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, found Wednesday that the Oklahoma Legislature’s 2023 ban was not intended to discriminate against transgender children. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Federal court upholds Oklahoma’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors [The Oklahoman]
- Federal appeals court upholds state law banning gender transition surgery, care for minors [Tulsa World]
- Circuit court upholds decision to ban youth access to gender-affirming care in Oklahoma [KOSU]
- Federal court upholds Oklahoma law banning gender-affirming care for minors [The Hill]
State Government News
Amid Trump admin changes, Oklahoma Broadband Office prepares for next stage of development: As a result of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program — as well as earlier American Rescue Plan Act investments — Oklahomans living in areas that have lacked reliable internet access could soon gain high-speed broadband services. However, evolving federal guidance and political shifts have complicated the rollout, delaying construction and reshaping which technologies and providers will qualify for funding. [NonDoc]
OSDE board members respond to Speaker Hilbert’s claims on Walters’ investigation: ‘We are deeply disturbed’: The OSDE board members released a joint statement in response to Speaker Hilbert’s claims that a movie airing on television in State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ office is what was seen showing inappropriate material during a meeting last month. [News 9]
Oklahoma Supreme Court puts TSET law on hold: The Oklahoma Supreme Court put on hold a new state law that critics say threatens the independence of a constitutionally created board overseeing nearly $2 billion in public dollars. [Oklahoma Voice]
Personnel change at state health department after lawsuit names certain personnel: A sudden personnel change for the Oklahoma State Department of Health came last week, weeks after a lawsuit was filed aimed at the department. [KFOR]
Oklahoma senator studies school lunch program improvements: State Sen. Adam Pugh is conducting an interim study to enhance the nutritional quality of school lunches in Oklahoma and address funding challenges. [KOCO]
The office television scandal of Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters (audio): KOSU’s Michael Cross talks with KOSU News Director Robby Korth about a recent situation where Oklahoma State Board of Education members claimed to have seen nude women on a television in the office of State Superintendent Ryan Walters while they were in executive session. [KOSU]
Opinion: The tuition fight that shouldn’t be: All too often in today’s politics, decision-makers seem to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Such is the case with this week’s Trump administration federal lawsuit, seeking to block Oklahoma from allowing undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition. Really? That’s federal lawsuit worthy? Shouldn’t it primarily be a state decision? Remember when Republicans were for local control? [Arnold Hamilton / The Journal Record]
- U.S Department of Justice sues OK for allowing undocumented students to qualify for in-state college tuition [KFOR]
Federal Government News
Trump wants a new U.S. census to exclude people here illegally. It’d be unprecedented: With preparations for the 2030 census already underway, President Trump said Thursday he has instructed his administration to start work on a “new” census. According to a social media post by Trump, that census would exclude millions of people living in the country without legal status — an unprecedented change to how the country has conducted population tallies since the first U.S. census in 1790. [NPR]
50 attorneys general ask DOJ to step up against illegal online gambling: Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, along with a bipartisan coalition of 49 other attorneys general, requested that the U.S. Department of Justice assist in their efforts to address what they described as a “rampant spread of illegal offshore gaming operations” across the country. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s congressional delegation perfectly accepts Trump’s authoritarian rule: The truth can be painful and disagreeable to some, but we must speak it. Protecting that freedom has fallen largely to journalists as, unfortunately, our elected officials encourage silence by their lack of action. [Jon Womastek / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Are Oklahoma tribal nations among the top employers in nonmetropolitan areas?: Yes. Direct employment by the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations, the two biggest tribes in Oklahoma, account for 10.7% and 12.5% of all employment in the nonmetropolitan counties included in their jurisdictions, respectively. [Oklahoma Watch]
Voting and Election News
Why congressional redistricting is blowing up across the US this summer: Fueled by President Donald Trump’s aims to bolster the U.S. House’s razor-thin GOP majority in the 2026 midterm elections, a rare mid-decade redistricting fight in Texas grew increasingly bitter in recent days and engulfed other states. While Texas is the only state that has so far taken formal action to redraw its U.S. House lines, a full-blown arms race could be imminent. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Superintendent Ryan Walters announces end of some end-of-year testing: Superintendent Ryan Walters announced on Friday the end of some government mandated end-of-year testing for certain students beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. Officials say districts will be able to use approved benchmark assessments in place of the end-of-year tests for grades 3-8 in Math and English Language Arts. [KFOR]
Education Watch: State Proposes Grading Schools on Teacher Effectiveness: A new Education Department proposal would replace chronic absenteeism on the A-F school report cards with a new measure they’re calling teacher effectiveness. [Oklahoma Watch]
- Concerns grow over proposed Oklahoma school A-F rating changes as public comment deadline approaches [KFOR]
- Deadline is Friday for public comments on proposed changes to school report cards [Tulsa World]
Health News
Independent living facility in OKC metro battles bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease: An independent living complex in Midwest City confirmed that one of its residents, who tested positive for a severe type of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease, has died. [KOSU]
When hospitals buy physician practices, prices go up: As more hospitals have gobbled up private physician practices, costs for childbirth and other services have gone up, according to a new study. Since the early aughts, the share of physicians in the United States working for hospitals has nearly doubled, according to the study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit research organization. And as fewer doctors work in physician-owned practices, patients or their insurers end up paying more, the study’s authors found. [Oklahoma Voice]
Criminal Justice News
DIY Justice: In the Panhandle, You Might Have to Defend Yourself: Common but possibly illegal is perhaps the best way to summarize the execution of justice in remote Oklahoma, and in a corrupt system, you might wind up having to fight to defend yourself. [Oklahoma Watch]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Rising home prices, insurance rates burdening first time buyers: t’s no secret that home prices keep rising here at home and across the country, with rising insurance rates also having an impact. Experts said the current market climate has made it harder for first-time buyers to jump in. [KFOR]
BeHeard homeless service hosts Tulsa mayor: ‘This partnership has been phenomenal’: An organization partnering with the city to provide homeless services welcomed Tulsa’s mayor for the first time Thursday for a closer look at how the operation works. BeHeard is a Tulsa-based nonprofit that serves homeless people through mobile units offering showers, laundry, haircuts, clothing and hygiene supplies while also helping connect them to longer-term support. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
What does it take to plug one of Oklahoma’s thousands of abandoned oil wells?: Thousands of oil wells have been abandoned in Oklahoma over the years. KOSU’s Anna Pope visited three sites in the Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge to see how the Well Done Foundation plugs orphan oil wells. [KOSU]
Community News
Vigils calling for immigration justice restarting every Wednesday in OKC: Organizers are holding the vigils every Wednesday in protest of tough immigration policy shifts under President Donald Trump’s administration, which is pursuing his presidential campaign promise to significantly increase deportations. [The Oklahoman]
Skyline Urban Outreach remains committed to helping community amid growing demands: Skyline, like numerous nonprofits across the state, already dealt with cuts to federal aid earlier in the year. The organization was among agencies affected by the federal government’s cut to grants funding the AmeriCorps program. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Oklahoma Children’s Hospital extends clinic vaccination hours ahead of school year [KGOU]
- Planned apartment tower goes to Edmond City Council after developers knock it down to size [The Oklahoman]
- Why tax time will take deliberate timing between city of Edmond and Edmond public schools [The Oklahoman]
- Cleveland County moves forward with Rock Creek project despite Supreme Court challenge [KGOU]
- Cleveland Co. moves forward with requests for proposals tied to Rock Creek project [KFOR]
- Beto O’Rourke stops in Oklahoma to rally people against Trump, request donations for Texas lawmakers [KOSU]
Quote of the Day
“Yesterday’s ruling is a devastating outcome for transgender youth and their families across Oklahoma and another tragic result of the Supreme Court’s errant and harmful ruling … Oklahoma’s ban is openly discriminatory and provably harmful to the transgender youth of this state, putting political dogma above parents, their children, and their family doctors.”
– A joint statement from Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Oklahoma in response to the federal appeals court upholding Oklahoma’s ban on gender-affirming procedures for minors. [Oklahoma Voice]
Number of the Day
$9.4 billion
The total amount the Trump administration aimed to rescind from congressionally approved funding, including foreign aid for FY 2025 and public broadcasting funds for FY 2026 and FY 2027. Of that, $8.3 billion would slash core foreign assistance programs — such as global health, humanitarian aid, and development — and $125 million would cut into USAID’s operational budget, threatening salaries, benefits, and the agency’s capacity to function. [Center for American Progress]
Policy Note
“Pocket Rescissions” Are Illegal: The Trump administration is promoting a tactic called “pocket rescissions”, under which the president would issue rescission requests less than 45 days before the fiscal year ends and allow funding to expire automatically — effectively canceling appropriated funds without congressional approval. Legal experts, including the Government Accountability Office and key appropriations leaders, have declared this practice unlawful, asserting it bypasses clear legislative authority and undermines the constitutional balance between Congress and the executive branch. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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