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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
SQ 846: On voting law, proponents concerned with posterity, critics concerned with posturing: Appearing statewide on Aug. 25 runoff ballots, State Question 846 will allow voters to enshrine an existing law requiring identification at the polls by elevating it into the Oklahoma Constitution. The state question’s proponents say it will prevent election laws from being weakened by future iterations of the Oklahoma Legislature, but critics oppose what they see as a superfluous amendment to the state’s founding document. [NonDoc]
Here’s Why Oklahoma Electric Bills Are Going Up and It’s Not Just Data Centers: Simply put, some customers are seeing rate hikes, while rising regional transmission costs, summer air-conditioning use and continued investment in an aging grid are contributing to higher bills for all. Data centers pose an emerging demand challenge, but they are not the sole explanation for what customers are paying today. [Oklahoma Watch]
State Government News
State says it spent nearly $900k on Tulsa, Oklahoma City homeless camp cleanups: The state spent nearly $900,000 to clear homeless encampments in Oklahoma’s largest cities last year, according to letters sent by the state’s chief operating officer. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Mayor pushes back on state’s effort to collect homeless camp cleanup costs [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Governor’s Office threatens to invoice Tulsa, Oklahoma City for Operation SAFE [KOSU]
- State demands OKC and Tulsa to pay over $800K for Operation SAFE [KFOR]
CAIR cites Stitt’s order suggesting terror ties as evidence of bigotry: The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma has described an executive order issued by Gov. Kevin Stitt as evidence of bigotry. The governor’s order, issued on Wednesday, raised allegations about CAIR potentially being tied to terrorism. “We look forward to continuing our civil rights work in Oklahoma and proving once again that the Constitution is stronger than any politician’s bigotry,” CAIR said in an emailed statement. [Tulsa World]
Teachers and other state employees brace for possible health insurance increase: In what was a historic year for education funding in Oklahoma, lawmakers didn’t seem to prepare for a major insurance cost increase set to hit next year. At a Thursday meeting, the Employees Group Insurance Division (the state group that administers group health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance for public employees and retirees in Oklahoma) voted on an around 18% cost increase in insurance for state employees through the provider HealthChoice. [KFOR]
- State worker health insurance premiums to rise as much as 20% [Tulsa World]
DEQ streamlines web access to info on proposed aluminum smelter: The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has established a web page to help keep people informed about developments related to the permitting process for a proposed aluminum smelter in Inola. [Tulsa World]
Opinion, This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Osage budget emergency, aluminum smelter injunction, GOP gubernatorial polling and more (podcast): The panelists talk about the Osage Nation principal chief declaring a budget emergency, Attorney General Gentner Drummond filing a motion to halt construction of an aluminum smelter in Inola and a new poll showing a statistical dead heat for the Republican nomination in the gubernatorial runoff on Aug. 25. The trio also discusses concerns over a possible double digit percentage increase in health premiums for state workers including teachers and Gov. Kevin Stitt appointing interim State Superintendent Lindel Fields as his Education Secretary. [KOSU]
Federal Government News
Legal groups ask court to restore block on Trump order on birthright citizenship: The American Civil Liberties Union has petitioned a federal court in New Hampshire to reaffirm a ruling that found President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order unconstitutional, after the president renewed his attempts to redefine American citizenship despite his loss at the Supreme Court. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Seniors connect with friends new and old at Tulsa’s Cherokee Nation community center: For the past month, the Cherokee Nation has been serving seniors lunch in its north Tulsa community center. Regulars at the center say the nation’s elder nutrition program gives them one less thing to worry about while helping them connect with their neighbors. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Voting and Election News
Drummond calls extreme Republicans fascists, Mazzei responds: Oklahoma Attorney General and Republican candidate for Governor Gentner Drummond’s comments calling some members of his party fascists at the Tulsa Press Club’s Candidate Forum this week are causing a stir. [KOSU]
- Mazzei seizes on Drummond’s comment about Republican ‘fascists’ [Tulsa World]
- New independent poll shows Oklahoma Republican governor’s race deadlocked [KFOR]
- Mazzei and Drummond spar in Tulsa ahead of GOP runoff as Munson makes her case [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- Drummond, Mazzei and Munson stick to their scripts at Chamber forum [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma GOP chair: There are many factions in our party: Republicans have been solidly in charge of the political process in Oklahoma at least since 2011. That’s the year Gov. Mary Fallin took office after defeating Democrat Jari Askins in the 2010 election and completed the “trifecta,” a horseracing term meaning Republicans now had control of the governor’s office in addition to majorities in the Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives. Such a consolidation of power meant smooth sailing for the GOP over the next decade and a half, right? Not quite. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Local Support vs. National Influence in Oklahoma’s Superintendent Race: Campaigns are built on momentum. Candidates spend months traveling the state, meeting voters, earning endorsements, and building coalitions. Every endorsement is another signal that respected voices believe a candidate is prepared to lead. While endorsements alone do not decide elections, they often provide a snapshot of where a campaign stands. That dynamic was on full display this week in Oklahoma’s race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. [Caedmon Brooks / Oklahoma Gazette]
Education News
Oklahoma students head back to school with focus on literacy: Hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma children returned to school this week for their first academic year under strict new literacy laws. It will be their final school year before reading scores carry even higher stakes. [Oklahoma Voice]
New AI driven school starts first day of class in popular downtown spot: A first of its kind private school is now operating in Oklahoma, but not in your typical classroom. Alpha School does not employ traditional teachers, and lessons are driven by artificial intelligence, AI. [KFOR]
Bixby school board approves LifeWise expansion: Bixby Public Schools’ board of education has approved the expansion of off-campus Bible-based character education classes to include six campuses for the coming school year. [Tulsa World]
Health News
Rural Oklahoma hospitals face ‘immediate’ risk of closure: A new study warns 45 rural hospitals are at risk of closing in Oklahoma, a predicament only topped by Texas and Kansas, in a national crisis driven by cuts in federal health spending and insurance re-imbursements. [The Oklahoman]
Justice System News
Oklahoma executes 70-year-old man for killing ex-girlfriend: Oklahoma executed Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, on Thursday for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in 2003. [The Frontier]
- Oklahoma executes 70-year-old man for killing ex-girlfriend [KOSU]
- State executes Oklahoma man convicted of shooting, killing woman [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma City leaders slated to consider Flock Safety contract changes next week: Oklahoma City leaders are expected to consider renewing the city’s contract with the controversial automated license plate reader company Flock Safety on Tuesday. [OPMX via KOSU]
- Flock to update software to prevent police misuse as OKC weighs camera contract [The Oklahoman]
Man dies at Cleveland County jail after reported medical emergency: A 33-year-old man died at the Cleveland County jail following what local officials have described as a medical emergency. [The Oklahoman]
Family disputes autopsy findings in state senate candidate death: The family of the state senate candidate found dead in his vehicle three months ago says the medical examiner’s findings don’t align with the information the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has given them about the case. [KFOR]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma gas prices jump 20 cents amid war, global oil shortages: With the Strait of Hormuz still mostly closed and U.S. petroleum reserves at their lowest levels in over 40 years, gas prices in Oklahoma have spiked an average of 20 cents in just two days. [The Oklahoman]
Google and RWE partner on new solar farm in McCurtain County: RWE and Google have signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for the total output of a 155-megawatt solar project planned for McCurtain County, marking the major German multinational energy company’s first solar development in Oklahoma. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
Opinion: OKC forum shows immigrants’ contributions to community: VOICE (Voices Organized in Civic Engagement) OKC is a coalition of dues-paying congregations, nonprofits, worker associations and schools that have come together out of a deep sense of mission and concern about the pressures families face in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. VOICE OKC is known for building trusting relationships; listening to people across racial, denominational, economic and geographic boundaries; and high-quality research to build better communities. [John Thompson / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Why KJRH layoffs should worry every Oklahoman: On Aug. 4, The E.W. Scripps Co. announced 268 workers would lose their jobs as the company moves toward central news hubs, automated workflows and AI. Those cuts hit Tulsa’s KJRH hard, but the consequences could reach far beyond one newsroom. [Dylan Jasna / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Driving in school zones? Look out for these recent Oklahoma laws [The Oklahoman]
- Budget team suggests Oklahoma County sheriff be paid for jail transports [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“This should not be a competition over who can send the other government the largest bill. The City (of Tulsa) and the State should be working together to address homelessness and public safety, not shifting costs onto one another.”
-Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, speaking in response to the state threatening to invoice the Tulsa Police Department for costs associated with the governor’s unilateral order to clear homeless encampments on state land earlier this year. Tulsa officials did not ask the state to bring the operation to the city, and the mayor said he was unsure how the city would be financially responsible for the cleanup simply because the State wants to be reimbursed for their own expenses. [KOSU]
Number of the Day
638,000
The increase in the number of unemployed workers as the national unemployment rate rose from 4.0% to 4.4% in 2025. While the change may seem small in percentage terms, it represents hundreds of thousands of additional people without jobs. [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Policy Note
A Year in Review: How the Trump Administration’s Economic Policies Made Life Less Affordable for Americans: Economic policies during the first year of the Trump administration were associated with rising living costs and weaker economic conditions for many households. New tariffs increased prices on everyday goods, groceries, housing materials, and other essentials, while cuts to programs like health coverage and food assistance added financial strain for low- and moderate-income families. Slower job growth and higher unemployment made it harder for many workers—especially young people and people of color—to find stable employment. Rising energy and utility costs further strained household budgets, leaving many families facing higher expenses across multiple areas of daily life. [Center for American Progress]
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