OKPOLICY.ORG
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: If ‘work conquers all’, why can’t Oklahomans get ahead?: Labor Day weekend is often seen as a time to rest, travel, or shop end-of-summer sales. But if we genuinely want to honor working Oklahomans, we must ask hard questions about the laws and policies that shape economic opportunity and everyday life on the job. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
Drummond opinion wrecks Oklahoma Highway Patrol plan to transfer ‘primary’ call authority to metro police: Nearly two months after the Department of Public Safety announced plans to shift “primary call responsibility” from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to local police agencies along interstates in the state’s metro areas, Attorney General Gentner Drummond released an official opinion today that DPS has no authority to “abandon” any part of Oklahoma’s interstates. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Highway Patrol must continue to work metro highways, Attorney General decides [Oklahoma Voice]
- OHP ‘cannot abandon’ metro-area highways, attorney general’s opinion states [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma state troopers cannot abandon metro areas, AG Drummond says [The Oklahoman]
- OKC Mayor David Holt on state trooper presence after AG Gentner Drummond issues new opinion (video) [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma AG: Highway Patrol cannot ‘foist its responsibility’ onto Tulsa, OKC Police [KGOU]
State Government News
New audit red flags millions spent by DHS, pandemic relief funds meant for housing aid: Questioned costs in annual audits of the state’s use of federal grant funds continue to rise — and the most likely consequence will be that Oklahoma could be on the hook to come up with tens of millions to repay the federal government. For the second year in a row, State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd was highly critical of state agency heads appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in releasing her office’s Single Audit Report of the State of Oklahoma. [Tulsa World]
- Drastic increase reported in Oklahoma’s annual ‘questioned costs’ for federal dollars [News 9]
- Read the State Auditor and Inspector’s report here.
Oklahoma’s broadband expansion proposal would leave millions unspent. Here’s why: The Oklahoma Broadband Office plans to leave more than $200 million in federal grant funding unspent in its push to expand high-speed internet after the Trump administration directed states to select the lowest-cost internet service providers. [The Oklahoman]
Can marijuana users in Oklahoma own guns? Supreme Court may decide (video): The Trump Administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against “habitual” marijuana and other drug users who want to own firearms. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma’s failed HB 3133 resurfaces in viral video: What to know about bill, video source: Though Oklahoma’s House Bill 3133 died over a year ago, a TikTok video blasting the proposed measure and its attempt to label “Hispanic” gang members as terrorists has gone viral in the last day. Here’s what we know about the video, along with some background on Oklahoma’s history with HB 3133. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting canceled amid heightened tensions: A monthly meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education has been abruptly canceled after weeks of significant tension between board members and the head of the panel, state Superintendent Ryan Walters. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma State Board of Education cancels Thursday’s meeting on short notice [Tulsa World]
- State Board of Education cancels monthly meeting amid conflict over general counsel [StateImpact Oklahima via KGOU]
Corrections chief submits resignation. Stitt names interim to lead Oklahoma agency: Oklahoma Department of Corrections Executive Director Steven Harpe announced Wednesday that he was resigning effective Sept. 30 to take a job in the private sector. Stitt tapped DOC Chief of Staff Justin Farris as interim director. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma approves $55 million in aviation infrastructure projects: The Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA) has approved $55 million for 18 aviation infrastructure projects across the state and set a $2 million framework for aerospace education funding. [News 9]
Federal Government News
US Health and Human Services agency orders Oklahoma to strip gender from sex ed: President Donald Trump’s administration demanded Tuesday that dozens of states remove from sex education materials any references to a person’s gender departing from their sex assigned at birth, or lose federal funding. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Survey Finds Strong Support as Oklahoma Launches Sex Ed Kickoff [The Black Wall Street Times]
Trump admin. moving detainees out of “Alligator Alcatraz” after judge orders facility operations to wind down: The Department of Homeland Security has begun moving detainees out of a controversial, state-run immigration detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” days after a federal judge ruled that parts of the facility must be dismantled. [CBS News]
Fired Fed board member to sue Trump to stay in role: Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook will challenge her removal, her attorney said Tuesday, arguing President Donald Trump “has no authority” to fire her. [Oklahoma Voice]
Federal program to get solar panels in disadvantaged areas – including Oklahoma – cut by EPA: States, territories, tribal governments, municipalities and nonprofits were set to get $7 billion to develop residential solar installations in low-income communities. In a video posted on Aug. 8, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the cancellation of “Solar For All.” The program’s termination is part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, he said, which was passed in July. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Opinion: Would Trump send in troops to Tulsa? Mayor Nichols doesn’t think so: In President Donald Trump’s first power grab into states, he’s targeting cities led by Democratic Black mayors with military takeovers. In a video interview this week, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols — a Democratic Black man — said it was not likely Tulsa would make the list of such federal overreach. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Health News
Oklahoma students navigate a declining vaccination landscape this back-to-school season: More Oklahoma children are entering kindergarten with exemptions from vaccines. According to CDC data, vaccination coverage is continuing to decline to levels that could increase the risk of outbreaks. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Criminal Justice News
Despite inspection progress, Comanche County still seeks ‘long-term solution’ for jail capacity: Despite a year’s worth of conversations about options to end its overcrowding issues, the Comanche County Detention Center still has more detainees than beds, a problem exacerbated by reforms passed this year by the Oklahoma Legislature that reduced the jail’s legal capacity from 283 people to 240. [NonDoc]
Oklahoma County jail population is up again sparking talk among officials: Why jail can’t fix it: A growing population at the Oklahoma County Detention Center again has officials seeking solutions. The daily headcount is in the 1,700s, after ranging from around 1,200 to some 1,500 last year, jail records show. Minus those facing or charged with low-level, nonviolent crimes, the tally would be around 1,300, interim jail CEO Paul Timmons said. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma County to sell $215 million in bonds to fund new jail intake center, kitchen, laundry: Oklahoma County commissioners voted 2-1 to fund an intake center, kitchen, laundry and other services at the new county jail site, over the objections of Commissioner Jason Lowe and state Rep. Andy Fugate. [The Oklahoman]
Is it illegal to park in front of my neighbor’s house? Oklahoma’s parking laws explained: As football fans park in crowded driveways and residential streets this fall to attend gameday parties, the presence of unfamiliar cars out front could trigger frustration or anger. While some see it as un-neighborly behavior, others might wonder if parking in front of someone else’s house is against the law. Don’t call the police yet, though. Here’s what the law has to say about neighborhood parking. [The Oklahoman]
Is it illegal to drive in the rain without headlights on? Here’s what Oklahoma’s law says: Oklahoma has been under storm clouds all week. While some drivers are taking their precautions on the road, all drivers should remember that visibility is essential, both legally and for their own safety. Oklahoma statutes are clear about driving in the rain and what drivers need to do to increase their own safety and the safety of other drivers on the road. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Republicans Offer Prayers, Not Protection from Gun Violence: Like clockwork, Republicans issue heartfelt condolences and prayers to grieving families and the Minneapolis community after yet another mass shooting in America — this time tearing through the stained glass windows of a church where children and their teachers sought solace and sanctuary during their first week of school. [Nehemiah Frank / The Black Wall Street Times]
- Gun Violence Kills Children in Minneapolis During Church Mass [The Black Wall Street Times]
Community News
Listen Frontier: City councilors debate Tulsa’s proposed panhandling ordinance (podcast): On Wednesday, Tulsa’s City Council is set to vote on an ordinance that would limit what Tulsans can do on sidewalks and medians. The proposed ordinance comes after two incidents, one in 2023, and one in 2024, where two separate people were killed while standing in center medians. [The Frontier]
- Tulsa City Council approves proposal to limit access to medians, sidewalks [Tulsa World]
Altus residents invited to community listening session: A community listening session aimed at hearing from Altus residents on state laws and policies is set for next week. The event will kick off at 6 p.m. on Sept. 4 at Western Oklahoma State College and is free and open to the public. It is being hosted by the Oklahoma Policy Institute and Together Oklahoma. The event will give residents a chance to share what matters most to the community. [KSWO]
Local Headlines
- Jenks Public Schools board fills vacant seat [Tulsa World]
- Councilors temporarily halt proposal to expand Tulsa’s human rights ordinances [Tulsa World]
- Kay Floyd and Gunner Briscoe sworn in as OKC municipal judges [The Journal Record]
- Broken Arrow hosting public forum on street projects and 2026 bond plans [News on 6]
Quote of the Day
“We cannot believe that building mental health infrastructures is “too hard” or “too expensive.” It is, instead, an ethical and budgetary necessity. Let us fund programs that counsel children, support grieving families, strengthen schools, and foster safe, restorative environments.”
– Nehemiah D. Frank, founder and editor-in-chief of The Black Wall Street Times, writing about the issue of gun violence following the recent mass shooting in Minneapolis. He emphasized that “thoughts and prayers” are no substitute for action. He wrote that tragedies like these demand real policy change, not empty gestures, if communities are to be kept safe. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Number of the Day
46%
The rise in firearm death rates among children and adolescents from 2019 to 2021, driven largely by gun assaults. From 2021 to 2023, the firearm death rate has held steady at 3.5 per 100,000 children and adolescents. The increase during the pandemic was most pronounced among Black and Latino youth, for whom assaults make up the majority of firearm deaths. [KFF]
Policy Note
The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Adolescents: The United States experienced a sharp increase in firearm mortality among youth in recent years, with firearms becoming the leading cause of death for children and adolescents by 2020. Beyond fatalities, many young people are exposed to gun violence — either directly or indirectly — which is linked to rising rates of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and diminished school performance. The strain on mental health is compounded by gaps in treatment access, as many affected youth and their families go without necessary services. Approaches that seek to reduce the impact of firearms on health include enforcing safe-storage laws, expanding child access prevention measures, and bolstering trauma-informed mental health support for young survivors and impacted communities. [KFF]
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
