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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: Building a better Oklahoma starts with investing in our kids: Backpacks are filling with new school supplies as students across Oklahoma prepare for another school year. It’s a reminder that childhood moves quickly — and that the kids walking into classrooms today are growing into the adults who will inherit the Oklahoma we are building. Yet at the Capitol, we often debate housing, health care, taxes, and criminal justice as if they are separate issues. But for the young people growing up here, those issues are all part of the same future. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
Voters across Oklahoma set to vote on State Question 844, what impact would it have?: Oklahoma voters will soon decide on State Question 844, which seeks to give the Legislature authority to change the state constitution regarding property tax reimbursements tied to manufacturing subsidies. [KOCO]
- Oklahoma school leaders worry about SQ 844 on August ballots [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: SQ 844 Fact Sheet | SQ 844 explainer video
State Government News
Gov. Stitt asks state agencies to investigate Oklahoma Muslims: Gov. Kevin Stitt has directed state agencies to investigate organizations tied to the Islamic faith for connections to terrorism as part of state politicians’ latest round of actions targeting Oklahoma Muslims. [The Oklahoman]
- Stitt orders investigation, possible terrorist designation for Oklahoma Muslim groups [KOSU]
Long Story Short: Fact-Checking the Debate, Title IX Resistance and Tenant Fallout (podcast): A discussion of Oklahoma Watch’s fact-check of the August 3 debate between Republican gubernatorial candidates Mike Mazzei and Gentner Drummond, a look into an Oklahoma high school’s resistance to following federal laws such as Title IX, and details on the fallout from Vesta Realty’s collapse and how it has affected tenants. [Oklahoma Watch]
Editorial: Hello? Are you there, Department of Human Services?: “Welcome! How can we help?” proclaims the Oklahoma Department of Human Services website. “Oklahomans help each other. It’s in our nature,” the website goes on to say. “Oklahoma Human Services exists to make sure that when a person falls on hard times, they have a place to turn. Where we do not offer a program or assistance for a specific situation, we are committed to connecting the person in need with an organization that can help.” The people that Oklahoman reporter Ben Felder found lined up at DHS headquarters last week needed help. But they weren’t getting any. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
Federal Government News
Trump administration urges Supreme Court to rule soon on limiting vote-by-mail in midterms: The Trump administration on Wednesday renewed its request to the U.S. Supreme Court to quickly decide a case over an executive order restricting voting, a day after a Massachusetts federal judge expanded an injunction on the order nationwide. [Oklahoma Voice]
Trump vaccine order takes aim at states that limit exemptions: A largely overlooked part of the executive order President Donald Trump issued this week scaling back the schedule for childhood vaccines threatens legal action against the four states that don’t allow personal or religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Federal judge vacates illegal federal approvals for fracking on Pawnee trust land in Oklahoma: A federal judge has voided oil and gas drilling permits on Pawnee Nation trust land, concluding a decade-old court case. The U.S. Department of the Interior did not follow all necessary U.S. or Pawnee laws in leasing the land or issuing the drilling permits, the judge found. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Election Roundup
- Gentner Drummond and Robert Franklin make their cases to voters at Tulsa Press Club event after opposition doesn’t show up [Tulsa Flyer]
- Q&A ahead of primary runoffs for governor, state superintendent draws only two candidates [Tulsa World]
- GOP candidates for insurance commisioner vow to tackle soaring insurance rates, but differ on solution [Oklahoma Voice]
- HD 19 runoff: Michael Brittingham, Anthony DeVore tout rural priorities in open SEOK seat [NonDoc]
- HD 1 runoff: Chris White, George Phipps vie for open seat in far SEOK [NonDoc]
- Where do District 1 candidates stand on reparations and representing all of north Tulsa? We asked [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- District 1 Tulsa City Council candidates discuss wide range of issues at downtown forum [Tulsa World]
Education News
Education Watch: Whistleblower’s Resignation Not An Isolated Departure: At least nine staff members have resigned from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics so far this year, and it’s a small agency with an average of 51 on the payroll. Nine employees left in 2025, and 12 did in 2024. Why does it matter? While some turnover is at an agency is expected, excess turnover can be a sign that the culture there isn’t positive. [Oklahoma Watch]
Stitt-backed report calls for charter schools to receive local property taxes: A report from Gov. Kevin Stitt’s former education secretary proposes requiring a portion of school district carryover balances to support teacher salaries and sending a share of local property taxes to public charter schools. [The Oklahoman]
- Stitt releases Hamlin report on Oklahoma school finance [Tulsa World]
“I Can’t Believe This is Ours.” OKCPS Opens New High School on City’s South Side: Oklahoma City Public Schools welcomed students to its newest high school campus Tuesday, a $116 million, 292,000-square-foot school on the city’s south side. [Oklahoma Watch]
Health News
Despite warnings even more OK rural hospitals set to close: With Medicaid cuts on the horizon, a large chunk of rural Oklahoma hospitals could face closure, and new numbers back up years of warnings from healthcare experts. [KFOR]
- Report: 25% of Oklahoma rural hospitals at immediate risk of closing; 45 flagged overall [Fox 25]
- From OK Policy: H.R. 1 could push Oklahoma’s health care system past its breaking point
Justice System News
Game on: Oklahoma County commissioners set jail sales tax vote for Nov. 3 ballot: At long last, Oklahoma County voters will have what could be the final say on whether the county has the money to build and operate a new jail after the Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 during Wednesday’s meeting to place a first-of-its-kind sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot. [NonDoc]
- OK County commissioners call for sales tax election to finish, run new jail [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma County voters to weigh 25-year sales tax for new jail funding in November [KOCO]
3 men set for lethal injection on same day in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma: Three men in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma are scheduled for lethal injection Thursday in a rare convergence of executions on the same day in the U.S. [KOSU]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
OKC homelessness groups get funds to fight evictions, aid mental health: Support from an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit is being used to boost rental assistance through service providers tackling homelessness and mental health needs in the city. [The Oklahoman]
New Tulsa recovery house wants to ‘be that bridge’ for people seeking sobriety: Midtown is now home to a new three-story luxury sober living house, offering wraparound services to Tulsans. The former dilapidated house, at 1379 E. 13th St. in the Cherry Street neighborhood, features six beds in three bedrooms, each with a TV. There are also three and a half bathrooms and a common area. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Local Headlines
- Coweta Police chief explains his call to get rid of Flock cameras [Tulsa World]
- Yukon residents to vote Nov. 3 on mayor recall election [KOSU]
- Oklahoma City leaders slated to consider Flock Safety contract changes next week [KOSU]
Quote of the Day
“It’s ‘frustrating’ to wait on hold to order a pizza or complain that your new blender isn’t working right. ‘Demeaning’ and ‘demoralizing’ might be better terms to describe the feelings of those trying to make sure their children have enough to eat.”
– The Oklahoman Editorial Board, criticizing hours-long wait times that have left Oklahoma families struggling to access SNAP assistance. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
3 hours and 41 minutes
The average wait time to speak with an Oklahoma Department of Human Services representative about SNAP is nearly nine times longer than it was in July 2025. Applying in person offers little relief: Lines at the agency’s east Oklahoma City office have stretched longer than a football field. [The Oklahoman]
Policy Note
New Data Underscore SNAP Cost Shift’s Harm to Low-Income Families and State Budgets: The harmful Republican reconciliation law enacted last July made unprecedented cuts to food assistance through SNAP, including a provision slashing federal funding for SNAP benefits and imposing these costs on state budgets. As states scramble to reduce their exposure to this cost shift and implement the law’s other cuts, SNAP participation has already fallen by more than 4.5 million people, with likely more than 1.5 million children losing access based on available data from 19 states.[1] In other words, SNAP-eligible people are losing out despite not being directly targeted by the new law. Compounding this dire outlook are new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which indicate that as many as 35 states and one U.S. territory will be required to pay substantial new costs to continue participating in SNAP in fall 2027, with the remaining states at risk of facing this cost shift in future years. Congress should act now to grant all states the same two-year delay that some states received under the reconciliation law. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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