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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
Breaking down SQ 832: The details on raising the minimum wage: One of the most significant provisions in SQ 832 is that, starting in 2030, the state’s minimum wage would automatically be adjusted every year based on changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This annual adjustment would help ensure that the minimum wage meets rising costs from inflation so minimum wage earners can meet the most basic costs of living. [Gabriela Ramirez-Perez / OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
Released from prison, $30,000 in debt: Why a new Oklahoma law is slashing fees and fines: Criminal justice reform advocates are celebrating a new law that eliminates several fees across Oklahoma’s justice system, as well as strengthens the court fee waiver process. These fees disproportionately affect people with limited financial means, leading to some collection rates as low as 25 percent. Many of these fees are also costly to collect and amount for small, unstable revenue streams. [The Oklahoman]
State Government News
Without warning, Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting abruptly canceled: Without warning, the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 28, has been canceled. The cancellation notice was posted on the Oklahoma State Department of Education website about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission selects acting director, pledges to work through ‘challenges’: The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission governing board on Tuesday tapped an executive assistant to serve as acting head of the agency and created a committee to find a permanent leader. [Oklahoma Voice]
Walters’ ‘America First’ teacher test could overstep Oklahoma law, state agency leader says: The Oklahoma State Department of Education likely would contradict state law if it implements an ideological test for teachers coming from certain states, said the leader of another state agency that oversees teacher assessments. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma Broadband Office is taking public comment on tweaked internet access federal plan: After tweaks to an existing broadband expansion plan by the Trump administration, Oklahoma is asking for public input to its high speed internet expansion proposals by September 1. The project proposals are through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD, Program. [Oklahoma Voice]
Do states with no income tax have an increased reliance on other kinds of tax?: States with eliminated or significantly lowered income taxes frequently make up the lost revenue through other taxes, namely sales and property taxes. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: Tax cuts now, crisis later: Oklahoma’s unsustainable budget
Long Story Short: Oklahoma Treasurer Making Another Attempt to Change Corporate Policies (podcast): Paul Monies covered a recent meeting of a board headed by Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ that oversees the investments for the state’s tobacco settlement fund. Maria Guinnip and KOSU’s Lionel Ramos spoke with four local police chiefs about their agreements with ICE and how they’ll enforce federal immigration law alongside their daily duties. Jake Ramsey recently reported on the Federal Government’s newly proposed rental assistance timeline. [Oklahoma Watch]
‘Focus: Black Oklahoma’: prison whistleblower, Tar Creek Superfund cleanup, Tulsa homelessness (podcast): This episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma features stories on a whistleblower at the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center, ongoing efforts to clean up the Tar Creek Superfund site and Tulsa’s plan to combat homelessness and the public’s response. [KOSU Radio & Tri-City Collective]
Federal Government News
Trump’s executive order on cashless bail could affect Oklahoma reform efforts: What to know: Criminal justice reformers in Oklahoma have spent years encouraging state leaders to modify the state’s bail laws, but a new executive order from President Donald Trump could dash those efforts. [The Oklahoman]
Sen. Lankford talks National Guard in D.C., the redistricting process, and projects for Oklahoma military facilities: U.S. Sen. James Lankford offered his view of the role of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., new federal investments in Oklahoma military installations, ongoing debates over redistricting in Texas and California, as well as the question of the balance of authority between national and local governments. [News 9]
Voting and Election News
Walters’ Record Making Education a Key Part of Gubernatorial Race: Oklahoma’s superintendent of schools, Ryan Walters, has a headline-grabbing agenda that is inspiring state Republicans to campaign on education — and against Walters. [Oklahoma Watch]
More than two dozen people are running for statewide office in Oklahoma so far. Here’s a list: Even though midterm elections are more than a year away, races for statewide office in Oklahoma are starting to get crowded. Here are the 30 candidates who have filed paperwork so far. The field includes 25 Republicans, 4 Democrats, and 1 independent. [KOSU]
Opinion: Oklahoma Democrats are losing ground. They need to fight fire with fire: With party registrations dropping, candidates for governor, Congress need strong, imaginative campaigns to build name recognition. [William Wertz / The Oklahoman]
Education News
Opinion: PragerU is wrong for justifying slavery, genocide to students. Denial is harmful: What’s truly at stake isn’t just how history is told — it’s how young Oklahomans understand themselves and the world they inherit. When educational materials rationalize or sanitize slavery, they teach acceptance of injustice and encourage moral resignation. Scholars call this “curriculum violence”: the pain inflicted when schools strip away dignity, agency and truth from the stories of the marginalized. [Karlos K. Hill / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Health insurance will cost more for millions of Americans — especially rural residents: A combination of Trump administration policies will make health care coverage more expensive for people who purchase plans from health insurance marketplaces — and rural residents will be hit the hardest, according to a new analysis. In Oklahoma, 116,800 rural marketplace enrollees face price spikes. [Oklahoma Voice]
Criminal Justice News
10th Circuit: Wagoner County officers potentially liable in death of Jeffrey Krueger: While a Wagoner County initiative petition failed to gather enough signatures to convene a grand jury to investigate the death of Jeffrey Krueger, the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals found that deputy sheriffs and police officers are not entitled to qualified immunity for a civil rights violation claim brought by his estate. [NonDoc]
OKC Council approves 6-month jail agreement with Cleveland County for some detainees: The Oklahoma City Council has approved a six-month agreement with Cleveland County that will allow the city to house some OKC detainees in Norman at the Cleveland County Detention Center. The agreement was shortened from its original one-year term when it was first proposed in July. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma special judge given public reprimand over ‘poor demeanor’: A special judge has been reprimanded by the Oklahoma Supreme Court for what justices called a ‘poor demeanor.’ [The Oklahoman]
- Supreme Court rebukes Oklahoma judge for ‘poor demeanor,’ ‘bias’ toward lawyers [Oklahoma Voice]
Judge dismisses City of Tulsa from civil rights suit filed by wrongfully convicted man: A judge Monday ruled in the favor of the City of Tulsa in a civil rights lawsuit brought by a man who spent 28 years in prison before being freed based on a wrongful conviction. The judge left intact some civil rights violation claims against two former Tulsa police detectives who remain defendants in the case. [Tulsa World]
How can OKC improve community safety and policing? Local nonprofit leader pushing to change priorities: The Foundation for Liberating Young Minds has grown into a full-time, grant-supported organization centered on community-based programming, social justice, and grassroots training and workshops. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Tulsa Housing Authority celebrates opening of new mixed-income housing project: The 100 units that opened Tuesday, called the Phoenix @ 36N, include 51 one-bedroom units and 49 two-bedroom units. Twenty of those will be market-rate units, and the other 80 are a mix of workforce and subsidized apartments. The complex will also include a commercial tenant, The Grocery Box. [Tulsa World]
Community News
Tulsans gather to hear immigration stories: ACTION Tulsa (Allied Communities of Tulsa Inspiring Our Neighborhoods), a faith-based nonprofit, hosted its third “Who Is My Neighbor?” workshop Sunday at Fellowship Lutheran Church. The event aims to deepen understanding around the immigrant experience in Oklahoma and empower attendees to support immigrant communities through advocacy, storytelling, and education. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Local Headlines
- Edmond voters to decide on ‘streets and roads MAPS program,’ sales tax reboot, in November [The Oklahoman]
- Is graffiti legal in Oklahoma? Here’s what state, city law says about street art [The Oklahoman]
- OKC Arts Commission boots ‘Kicks 66’ display from Asian District, looks to Cowboy museum [The Oklahoman]
- Bartlesville Public Schools: Hacker got Social Security numbers in April data breach [Tulsa World]
- Norman Ward 5 committee to interview ‘Norman Transcript’ editor, 3 other candidates for council seat [OU Daily]
- Tulsa city councilors to vote on limiting access to roadway medians [Tulsa World]
- Opinion: Tulsa mayor feeling encouraged after phone conversation with Gov. Stitt [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“It’s really important to give people a chance to move forward.”
– John Standfill, speaking about reforming Oklahoma’s fees and fines system so people weren’t trapped in a “debtor’s prison.” Standfill served 15 years in an Oklahoma prison, and upon his release in April 2022 found he still owed the state more than $30,000 in fees and fines. Such large debts create major obstacles for justice-involved people to restart their lives after completing their sentences. Gov. Stitt this week held a ceremonial signing for new laws that eliminate certain court and supervision fees and other justice reform efforts. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
4 in 5
Studies show that 4 in 5 people who have come into contact with the criminal legal system across the country owe a criminal legal debt, with 15 percent owing more than $5,000. The total outstanding legal debt in the U.S. is estimated to be as high as $50 billion. [Urban Institute]
Policy Note
Imposing Instability: How Court Fines and Fees Destabilize Government Budgets and Criminalize Those Who Cannot Pay: This report looks at the amount of criminal, juvenile, municipal, and traffic fines and fees imposed by courts nationwide and compares those totals to the actual revenue collected for government coffers. Drawing from 24 states for which there was available data, this report examines the widespread use of court-imposed fines and fees to supplement government budgets between fiscal years 2018 and 2022. It finds that, despite a decline in court caseloads, the total amount of fines and fees imposed increased—suggesting that revenue generation, rather than case volume or public safety, is driving imposition practices. [Fines and Fees Justice Center]
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