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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: Worker empowerment strengthens Oklahoma businesses: Labor Day arrives each year as the unofficial end of summer. But its history asks us to remember something more important: Our economy’s strength depends on the people who do the work. Generations of workers organizing for better conditions shaped many workplace standards Americans now take for granted. The labor movement helped advance the eight-hour workday, weekends, overtime protections, safer workplaces and restrictions on child labor. These gains helped more than just union members. They set standards for what a good job should be for workers throughout our economy. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
New work requirements could affect 250,000 Oklahomans on SoonerCare, agency warns: Over 250,000 Oklahomans have been sent letters warning that new federal work requirements may put them at risk of losing their Medicaid health coverage. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority on Wednesday said yellow letters were sent last week and any Oklahoman who receives one should follow the enclosed instructions to ensure they maintain their eligibility. [Oklahoma Voice]
- New federal work rules may impact SoonerCare coverage, OHCA warns [The Oklahoman]
- OHCA: SoonerCare work requirements coming soon [Fox 25]
- New Medicaid work requirements expected to impact thousands in Oklahoma [Tulsa World]
- What do the new Oklahoma SoonerCare work requirements mean for members? [News 9]
- OHCA notifies SoonerCare Members on Federal work requirements [KFOR]
- From OK Policy: “Work requirements” won’t work for Oklahoma
State Government News
Long Story Short: Prison Call Centers, Norman’s Homeless Program and Statewide Audit Red Flags (podcast): A discussion on how Oklahoma state prison inmates were put to work making political phone calls for out-of-state campaigns, an examination of the shutdown of Norman’s A Better Way program for individuals experiencing homelessness, and a break down of a massive statewide audit that flagged $25 million in questionable federal spending across state agencies. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion: Lawmakers have ignored an Oklahoma constitutional edict for years. Kevin Stitt called their bluff: Oklahoma’s Constitution requires that lawmakers give voters the right to consider calling a constitutional convention at least once every 20 years. Yet lawmakers last placed the referendum on the ballot in 1970 — 56 years ago. In 1994, the Legislature asked voters to repeal the 20-year requirement entirely; voters rejected it. After years of lawmakers from both parties failing to comply with the constitutional requirement, Gov. Kevin Stitt’s patience has run out. [J.H. Snider / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
USPS whistleblower predicts ‘catastrophic’ effect on elections under Trump vote-by-mail order: The U.S. Postal Service rushed the development of electronic tools to comply with a Trump administration policy placing new restrictions on mail-in voting, and defied a court order to stop work on the system, according to an explosive whistleblower complaint published Tuesday by Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Why the rushed Postal Service plan for mail-in voting has states in a panic [Oklahoma Voice]
Legal aid for immigrant kids remains in question after Trump administration pulls contract: More than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant youth remain at risk of losing their legal representation, one month after the Trump administration ended a federal contract with an organization that provided legal services to migrant children, advocates and attorneys said Tuesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Cherokee Nation members criticize Mullin for ICE encroachment on tribal land in Arizona: The recent incursion by masked federal agents on Tohono O’odham land didn’t just anger that tribe, which has been trying to block border wall construction along the remote stretch it controls in Arizona. It also infuriated Native Americans who had higher hopes for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the former Oklahoma senator who is only the second Indigenous cabinet member ever. [Cronkite News via KOSU]
Which tribes in Oklahoma are hosting Labor Day, early fall gatherings?: More than a dozen tribes in Oklahoma are celebrating their national holidays over the Labor Day weekend and into the next month. [KOSU]
FBI calls attention to cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people: A new FBI effort that aims to draw attention to unsolved investigations into homicides, missing persons and other crimes in Indian Country features two Muscogee Nation members. [Tulsa World]
Justice System News
Oklahoma City renews Flock surveillance camera contract despite privacy concerns: The Oklahoma City Council voted 5–3 to renew a $270,000 contract with Flock Safety, keeping 90 automated license plate-reading cameras operating across the city. [The Black Wall Street Times]
OK County needs more judges, courts, criminal justice officials say: Oklahoma County doesn’t have enough judges or courtrooms to keep up with population growth in and around Oklahoma City. County officials are trying to deal with it. [The Oklahoman]
Man alleges excessive force, inhumane treatment by Tulsa Municipal Jail detention officers: A Tulsa man alleges that excessive force and inhumane treatment by Tulsa Municipal Jail detention officers gave him a blistering rash, sores, open wounds and an infection for which he was denied treatment, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in state district court. [Tulsa World]
Tulsa City Council meets to discuss Terence Crutcher lawsuit: City councilors on Wednesday met in executive session to discuss an ongoing federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the estate of Terence Crutcher. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
OKC nonprofits receive nearly $800K to fight homelessness: Three local organizations in Oklahoma City secured $794,750 to expand services addressing homelessness, adding more eviction mediators and expanding mental health support. [The Journal Record]
Economy & Business News
Petition against rising electricity bills catches attention of Oklahoma utility regulators: As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 26,000 people signed a Change.org petition demanding more transparency and fewer rate increases from Public Service Company of Oklahoma. The petition was started by Tulsa resident Raelynn McMurchy, who wrote the increases are unsustainable. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
State Farm CEO ordered to answer questions in Broken Arrow couple’s roof claim case: The CEO at State Farm Insurance must answer questions under oath in a case filed by a Broken Arrow couple who claim the company wrongfully denied them a fair payment on a legitimate roof claim, a judge ruled on Tuesday. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Will AI kill the first job? Oklahoma has a plan: Oklahoma is putting artificial intelligence into its workforce strategy. The state’s new Talent Accelerator helps employers offset training costs in industries including AI infrastructure, while the state’s Learn AI initiative is expanding access to digital and AI skills. Those investments address one side of the problem: Workers need new skills. The other side is whether employers still provide enough entry-level work for people to turn skills into experience. [Gleb Tsipursky / The Oklahoman]
Community News
Greenwood Film Festival wants Black creators to see future for themselves in Oklahoma film industry: When moviegoers take their seats at the 6th annual Greenwood Film Festival, being held at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa’s auditorium from Sept. 6-10, the goal is for them to reflect on their lives and challenge their perceptions. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Local Headlines
- Gold Dome sold to unlikely buyer in mandated auction, disrupts OKC’s redevelopment plan [KOSU]
- Oklahoma City high school students get hands-on healthcare experience through new partnership [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
- Oklahoma City leaders push transit, commuter rail as global spotlight nears [The Oklahoman]
- Why Oklahoma City is betting big on defense industry [The Oklahoman]
- Push for solar farm near Porter: Judge hears arguments on denied permit [Tulsa World]
- Broken Arrow Public Schools partners with OSUIT to expand construction program [Tulsa World]
- Stillwater Sued to Fix Remington Ranch; Competing Bankruptcies Froze the Case [Oklahoma Watch]
Quote of the Day
“Which do we choose? Food, rent, car payment, or electricity this month?”
– An anonymous PSO customer, describing how high electricity bills are forcing families to choose between keeping the power on and paying for other basic needs. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Number of the Day
14.4%
The percent increase in average Oklahoma electricity prices between January 2025 and January 2026, from 11.03 cents to 12.62 cents per kilowatt-hour. [U.S. Energy Information Administration]
Policy Note
A Plan for American Electricity Affordability: Electricity costs are rising faster than many other basic expenses, leaving more households behind on bills, facing shutoffs, and spending a growing share of their income on energy. Prices are being driven by costly natural gas, aging grid infrastructure, climate disasters, and rapidly increasing demand from AI data centers, while federal barriers to new clean energy projects threaten to make the problem worse. Proposals to address the crisis include accelerating the construction of affordable energy and grid infrastructure, providing federal support to states that freeze or reduce residential rates, and requiring data centers to pay their fair share of the infrastructure costs they create. [Center for American Progress]
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