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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
‘Anything helps’: For some Oklahoma shoppers, grocery tax cut came as a surprise: Oklahoma’s grocery tax cut went into effect Thursday, reducing the cost to shoppers of many food items. Some shoppers were unaware the cut was coming. Some thought it would help a bit. Others thought its effect had already been eroded by inflation. Overall, it may not have been the “monumental” event proclaimed by House Speaker Charles McCall when the cut was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt in February. [The Oklahoman]
- Now that Oklahoma’s grocery tax is gone, how much will you save? It’s complicated. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Fact Check: Will Oklahoma families save $800 a year from eliminating the state portion of the grocery sales tax?
Opinion: The childhood hunger issue is not just about a human need. It’s about economics, as well: Oklahoma children who experience food insecurity are walking a tightrope, struggling to receive the nourishment they need to thrive, grow and succeed. Chronic food insecurity is not just about hunger; it’s about the physical, emotional and cognitive development of our children. The evidence is so compelling that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends food security screenings at all pediatric visits. [Stacy Dykstra / The Oklahoman]
State Government News
Contrary to AG’s recommendation, Stitt, McCall oppose mental health lawsuit settlement: Gov. Kevin Stitt and House Speaker Charles McCall, at odds with Attorney General Gentner Drummond on his proposal to settle a class-action lawsuit dealing with Oklahoma’s competency restoration system for those accused of crimes while afflicted with severe mental illness, voted Wednesday to table the matter and not take action regarding a proposed consent decree carrying an undefined price tag for reforming state services. [NonDoc]
- Inmates’ attorney disputes claims about proposed consent decree on mental health services [Tulsa World]
- Mental health treatment suit at center of latest dispute between Gov. Stitt, AG Drummond [The Oklahoman]
- Class action lawsuit settlement uncertain after AG criticizes ‘premature’ meeting [Journal Record]
Governor’s executive order questioned amid latest national PR spending for State Supt.: Fox 25 reached out to the governor’s office with specific potential violations of the order, including Sections 2 and 4 of the order prohibit contracting with agencies associated with campaign issues or with registered lobbyists. The station never got a response on whether Gov. Stitt’s legal counsel believes the Vought contract violates the executive order, but we did get a statement saying in part, “The governor expects all agencies and state employees to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.” [Fox 25]
Oklahoma Mental Health Department appoints chief medical officer: The state’s mental health department has tapped a psychiatrist to serve as its first chief medical officer. Jason Beaman was appointed to the newly created position at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. [Oklahoma Voice]
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know: Who wants some free money? Not Oklahoma. As Paul Monies reported, the state has walked away from tens of millions of federal dollars available to help Oklahomans in need. [Oklahoma Watch]
- Opinion, Cartoon: Gov. Stitt’s hunger policy [Todd Pendleton / The Oklahoman]
Incoming legislative leaders talk about roads, Ryan Walters: Oklahoma’s incoming legislative leaders agreed Thursday that keeping up roads and bridges is a good thing, economic development is important, and mental health, education and child care could use some attention. On more delicate issues, though, they largely deferred to current (for another three months) Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka. [Tulsa World]
- Why Rep. Clay Staires has not signed on to impeach Ryan Walters [Sand Springs Leader]
Election losses by high-ranking Republicans are reshaping Oklahoma’s Legislature: For the second time in as many months, a high-powered Republican member of the Oklahoma Legislature crashed and burned on election night, an indication that infighting among the GOP is increasing and the party’s far right-wing is now a major voice in state elections. [The Oklahoman]
Capitol Insider: Legislative incumbent election defeats keep piling up: In legislative races, this has been a surprisingly bad year for incumbents. We saw that again on Tuesday in the Oklahoma primary runoff election. Three incumbent legislators were on the ballot and all three lost. [KGOU]
Opinion: Politics has no place in Oklahoma pensions: Unlike most Oklahomans, our state’s firefighters are not eligible for Social Security. Instead, we have been automatically enrolled in the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System (OFPRS) since it was established back in 1981. This means that after a lifetime of keeping Oklahomans safe, we cannot rely on the most common American retirement benefit to support our families – making the performance of our public pension that much more important. [Michael Tennyson / Journal Record]
Federal Government News
Treasury targets money laundering in cash home purchases: The Treasury Department has issued regulations aimed at making it harder for criminals to launder money by paying cash for residential real estate. [Associated Press via Journal Record]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s power players or performers in D.C.?: It wasn’t so long ago that Oklahoma had political giants operating along the Potomac. Of course, how Congress operates – or, in this era, doesn’t – has changed dramatically since Albert, Kerr and Bellmon were there. Now, it’s Gridlock City, hyper partisanship making it difficult, if not impossible to produce serious, visionary public policy. [Arnold Hamilton / Journal Record]
Voting and Election News
Oklahoma’s election laws inhibit voter participation, create more extreme candidates, experts say: Oklahoma’s voting system is leading to low turnout rates, the election of more extreme candidates and disenfranchisement of voters who are excluded from participating in primary elections, experts said. [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: The 2022 Midterms reveal our democracy is still inaccessible to many Oklahoma voters
- Postmaster general is confident about ability to process mail-in ballots [Associated Press]
How Oklahoma County is fortifying the election board offices months before the election: Security barriers are being added to the Oklahoma County Election Board offices at the request of Homeland Security officials. The concrete barricades will be installed as election officials across the county are preparing for the possibility of violence or terrorism in the final weeks leading to the Nov. 5 election, and on election day. [The Oklahoman]
State Election Board orders recount in House runoff race decided by two votes: The Oklahoma State Election Board has ordered a recount for a Republican Oklahoma house district runoff election decided by just two votes. [KFOR]
VanNorman demands recount of Tulsa mayoral race: Former Tulsa mayoral candidate Brent VanNorman is demanding a recount after he was narrowly eliminated from contention for the city’s highest office. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Brent VanNorman seeking recount of Tulsa mayoral election results [Tulsa World]
- 2024 Tulsa Election Recap: Key Results from Council District Races and Propositions [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Game of inches: Tulsa’s mayoral runoff pits a progressive Democrat against a moderate who will now try to woo Republicans [The Frontier]
Ballot measures in 41 states give voters a say on abortion and other tough questions: More than 140 measures are going before voters in 41 states during the general election alongside choices for president and other top offices. The ballot questions will give voters a chance to directly decide some consequential issues, instead of deferring to their elected representatives. [Associated Press]
- From OK Policy: Initiative petition process is vital to Oklahoma’s democracy: Lawmakers should keep it accessible
Could Congressman Kevin Hern be Oklahoma’s next governor?: Republican 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern is “considering” the 2026 Oklahoma governor’s race, he said. [Tulsa World]
Editorial: What will it take to get Tulsans to vote?: Among the details of Tuesday’s municipal elections, one fact stands out: The vast majority of Tulsans don’t vote. Three-fourths of residents opted out of choosing their mayor and city councilor. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Education News
Oklahoma students are missing class and failing in reading. What’s happening?: Oklahoma’s education system, chronically ranked among the lowest-performing in the nation, is failing at even getting kids to come to school. [The Oklahoman]
Walters issues ‘guidelines on patriotic displays’ after Edmond North flag controversy: After a flap over a student halted from flying a flag from the bed of his truck in Edmond, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters issued “guidelines on patriotic displays” to Oklahoma school districts Thursday. [The Oklahoman]
- What’s that flag? Here’s the story behind notable banners seen around Oklahoma [The Oklahoman]
Education Watch: Teacher Communication Law Clarified to Exclude Family: A new law governing electronic communication between school staff and students does not apply to family members, according to new guidance from the Oklahoma Department of Education. [Oklahoma Watch]
Health News
Help wanted: Oklahoma works to lower barriers to long-term care careers: Recruiting long-term care CNAs can be challenging, and fighting consistent turnover is costly. But groups in Oklahoma are finding ways to invest in workers’ futures. [Public Radio Tulsa]
More than 5,000 Oklahomans access emergency overdose treatment so far this year: Accidental overdose is the leading cause of death for people 50 and under, according to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. Last year, 7,000 Medicaid members accessed Naloxone through their pharmacy. [Fox 25]
Criminal Justice News
Attorneys seek sentencing modification request under new domestic abuse survivor law: Attorneys for Tulsa County convicted killer April Rose Wilkens are asking a court to set her free after 26 years following the passage of a new law. Senate Bill 1835, known as the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act, lets domestic violence victims seek a sentence modification if they can show their abuse contributed to the crime. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma woman convicted of murder requests resentencing under new domestic violence law [The Oklahoman]
- Domestic violence survivor serving life in prison seeks relief as new law takes effect [Public Radio Tulsa]
Oklahoma announces new anti-human trafficking campaign: The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control announced a new initiative aimed at reducing human trafficking and rescuing those trapped in the illegal trade. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma launches campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking, help victims [Tulsa World]
Tulsa police celebrate law making it easier to arrest abusers hiding from justice: The Tulsa Police Department is celebrating a new law that a detective at the agency requested to make it easier for officers to arrest abusers being sheltered in someone else’s residence. [Tulsa World]
Accused Oklahoma judge has frontotemporal dementia, his attorneys have revealed: A judge accused of two drive-by shootings and sexual misconduct has been diagnosed with a rare brain disorder that causes personality changes and bizarre behavior, his attorneys have revealed. [The Oklahoman]
Sheila Buck to stand trial over 2020 Trump rally arrest as legal battle continues: More than four years after she was arrested and charged in connection with her protest at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally, Sheila Buck is scheduled to stand trial in Tulsa County District Court. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
How a ‘Housing First’ model is reshaping Oklahoma City’s fight against homelessness: The ‘Housing First’ model in Oklahoma City lowers the barriers housing for people. Dan Straughan, who helped start the Homeless Alliance 20 years ago, said: “The Housing First model is housing without preconditions. We’ll put you in housing, and then we’ll work with you on all those barriers, whatever they may be – mental health, substance abuse, developmental issues, justice involvement – all of those things.” [KOSU]
Mother-daughter duo celebrate new Habitat for Humanity home: New homeowners LaRhonda and Robin C., a mother-and-daughter duo, were joined by Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers Wednesday for the dedication of their home. The house is the nonprofit’s 2024 Women Build house. [Journal Record]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma ranks 36th in Oxfam’s worker-friendly states report: Ahead of Labor Day, a report released Thursday puts Oklahoma in the bottom third for Best and Worst States to Work in the U.S. The annual report from Oxfam tracks 27 policies in three areas – wages, worker protections and rights to organize – to capture which states do the best job of filling the gaps in federal action supporting low-wage workers and working families. [Journal Record]
- Best and Worst States to Work in the US 2024 [Oxfam]
Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative seeks rate hike to keep service ‘safe and reliable’: An electric utility in northeastern Oklahoma has requested state regulators approve a rate increase. If the Oklahoma Corporation Commission approves the utility’s request, electric rates would increase by nearly 5%, boosting the cooperative’s annual revenue by about $4.5 million. [KGOU]
Opinion, Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn: Reflecting on Labor Day, there are still issues to fight for and causes to champion: As we celebrate Labor Day this year, it is an opportune time to remember the women who have helped pave the way in advocating for the workforce in our state and country. [Tulsa World] | [The Oklahoman]
Community News
Opinion: Some people might say it’s OK to speak up when you see something wrong. I say it’s heroic: Our country’s laws say students, while they are at school, must be free from pressure to be religious. People who work for the government, like the principal, must avoid using schools as a place to pressure those students about religion. [Eric Thomas / The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“Oklahomans don’t believe that the problems that they face every day are getting solved by politicians, and so they don’t think their vote matters. And so they just don’t vote because they’re disengaged, and that is problematic because the legislature focuses on culture war issues and scoring political points instead of actually addressing real problems.”
-Amber England, a spokesperson for a the SQ 832 campaign seeking to raise the minimum wage. [Oklahoma Voice]
Number of the Day
26%
Percentage of registered voters in Tulsa who cast ballots in Tuesday’s municipal elections. This was the lowest turnout since 1994. [Tulsa World]
Policy Note
24 Ways to Grow Voters In 2024: Engaging young people and supporting their electoral participation must happen year-round, and it’s never too early to start with an eye toward 2024. Our research frequently highlights ways to increase youth voting and address stubborn inequities in participation: from electoral laws that make it easier to register, to engaging youth based on the issues they care about. But achieving drastic improvements and eliminating, not just addressing, inequities requires major shifts in how we approach the task of ensuring all youth are informed, motivated, and ready to vote. [Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement]
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