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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
2023 Census data: Oklahoma ranks as sixth poorest state: Data from the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey released Sept. 12 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 15.9 percent, which was the nation’s sixth highest. The national poverty rate in 2023 was 12.5 percent, and Oklahoma’s ranking among states worsened from eighth to sixth when compared with the 2022 data. The states with higher rates of poverty in 2023 were Louisiana (18.9 percent), Mississippi (18 percent), New Mexico (17.8 percent), West Virginia (16.7 percent), and Kentucky (16.4 percent). [OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
Details of Summer Boismier teaching license revocation finally revealed in court: After spending weeks outside of public view, an order revoking the teaching certificate of former Norman teacher Summer Boismier has been released after a federal judge demanded the document. The revocation order became publicly viewable on Thursday when it was filed in a federal lawsuit challenging House Bill 1775, a controversial Oklahoma law that prohibits certain race and gender concepts from being taught in K-12 schools. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Court filing reveals former Norman teacher’s certificate revoked over law the state largely cannot enforce [KFOR]
- Oklahoma Board of Education hands over former Norman teacher’s license revocation order to federal judge [KGOU]
- Oklahoma education board denies violating court order when it revoked teacher’s license [The Oklahoman]
State Government News
LOFT Report: Oklahoma state Medicaid spending among nation’s lowest during COVID-19 pandemic: The Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) met Wednesday to review funding sources for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), and it found the state’s spending on Medicaid was one of the nation’s lowest amid enhanced federal funds during the COVID-19 pandemic and incentives it received from expanding Medicaid. [KGOU]
Lawmakers debate expanded use of license plate cameras: Several longtime law enforcement officers showed support this week for allowing a network of cameras to be installed along state highways. However, a discussion at the Capitol about whether the state should allow for expanded use of such systems also turned to concerns about how the technology might represent a violation of the presumed right to privacy that Oklahomans might expect while simply driving down a road. [Tulsa World]
This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Minimum wage delay, Tulsa mayoral election, student literacy grant and more: The panel discusses the delay in voting for State Question 832 (to increase the minimum wage) getting pushed until June 2026, the recount for Tulsa mayor ends with no significant changes and State Superintendent Ryan Walters along with the Board of Education face a couple of legal issues in the past week. [KOSU]
Opinion: Two years ago, sports betting became legal in Kansas. It wasn’t worth the risk to some: A new study shows how sports betting hits the most economically vulnerable households the hardest. The study reinforces what many Kansans feared instinctively when the state made sports gambling legal two years ago. [Max McCoy / Oklahoma Watch]
Voting and Election News
Brent VanNorman’s mayor campaign consultant has asked to review all absentee ballots: Brent VanNorman’s campaign is not done double-checking the Aug. 27 vote. VanNorman confirmed that his campaign consultant, Tomahawk Strategies, has asked to review all 3,720 absentee ballot affidavits received by the Election Board. VanNorman requested a recount of the election after finishing a close third behind Karen Keith and Monroe Nichols, who will meet in a runoff election on Nov. 5. [Tulsa World]
Conspiracy theorist played no role in Tulsa mayoral recount request, VanNorman says: Former Tulsa mayoral candidate Brent VanNorman said Thursday that he did not know or consult with conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi before making his decision to seek a recount of the Aug. 27 election results. Corsi has been in the middle of some of the nation’s most contentious and polarizing political battles of the last 25 years. His 2011 book, “Where’s the Birth Certificate? The Case That Barack Obama Is Not Eligible to Be President,” played a key role in promoting the birtherism movement. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Across the country, legislators are setting barriers to voting. Make sure you’re registered: While our methods have become more sophisticated, the importance of voting has always been important. It’s how we decide who represents us, what we believe is right for our society, and what we want for our future. Throughout the history of the U.S., unless you were a white male, earning the right to vote has been a struggle. [Lynn Staggs / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Oklahoma needs more effort in getting existing voters to cast a ballot: As the Tulsa mayoral recount and televised U.S. presidential debate concluded last week, the question remained about how any of this will motivate voters. Predicting who might win on Nov. 5 are meaningless without the question of who will vote. It’s one thing for a voter to give a pollster an answer or agree to a sign in their yard, it’s another for that voter to actually cast a ballot. As a candidate recently told me: Signs don’t win elections, ballots do. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Education News
State Seeks to Decertify Teacher Over 5-Year-Old Instagram Family Photo: The Oklahoma State Department of Education has filed to take away a Norman teacher’s certification — the harshest discipline the department can take against an educator — for a family photo he posted on his personal social media five years ago. The proceedings are typically reserved for serious offenses, such as child abuse, predatory behavior or criminal charges. Free speech and due process rights in jeopardy as Department of Education pursues teachers over politics. [Oklahoma Watch]
Union seeking community help to reduce chronic absenteeism rates: With its chronic absenteeism rate still almost double compared to the pre-pandemic years, Union Public Schools is having conversations with parents, students, staff and the community about the need for consistent attendance. [Tulsa World]
- Check your school’s absenteeism rate in Tulsa Public Schools [Tulsa World]
Health News
Oklahoma has one of the highest gun suicide rates in the US. Study cites weak gun laws: A new study shows states like Oklahoma with higher gun ownership rates and fewer gun violence prevention laws have some of the highest gun suicide rates in the nation. [The Oklahoman]
Study finds prevalence of firearms is driving soaring gun deaths in U.S. – not mental illness: OHSU researchers compared the U.S. to 40 countries and found that Americans are 20 times more likely to die by firearms, even with a similar rate of mental health illness. [Oregon Capital Chronicle via Oklahoma Voice]
- Gun violence prevention conference coming to OKC [Journal Record]
Editorial: Americans now live with the fear of gun violence: Missing from the presidential debate last week: guns. A school shooting, near assassination of a presidential candidate, random shootings on a Kentucky highway and 389 mass shootings just this year aren’t enough to put firearms in a national conversation. Not anymore. How sad is that for America? [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know: A jail health care provider remains at the center of controversial detainee deaths in multiple counties. Turn Key Health Clinics gave the Oklahoma County Jail Trust notice that it will stop providing services in 30 days, The Oklahoman reported, following weeks of debate by trust members over whether to continue using Turn Key’s services. The company has been accused of maintaining horrific conditions in the jail and the high rate of detainee deaths. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoman accused in Jan. 6 Capitol riot claims jail officials retaliated after Brecheen visit: judge on Wednesday denied a request that an emergency hearing be held for an Oklahoman held in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot who claims jail officials retaliated against him after his congressman visited him in a District of Columbia lockup. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Tulsa Housing Authority facing 4-year audit backlog, 12,000-person waitlist: Citing software snafus, scheduling issues and pandemic problems, the Tulsa Housing Authority has failed to complete an annual audit since its 2019 financial statement. But with any luck, agency leaders and governing board members hope to approve audits for 2020 and 2021 by the end of 2024. [NonDoc]
- Tulsa Housing Authority to Close River West, Section 8 Voucher Waitlists [The Black Wall Street Times]
Economy & Business News
Child care providers brace for end of ARPA funding, proposed DHS rule changes: Pandemic relief funds will expire at the end of September, putting child care providers and parents who relied on the extra funding in a tight spot. American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds were used in the child care industry to help with affordability and for staffing facilities. The funds expire Sept. 30. [Oklahoma Voice]
Local Headlines
- Oil and gas solutions provider Kimray might cut over 100 positions, most in OKC [The Oklahoman]
- Monthslong demolition likely for former Cox Convention Center [The Oklahoman]
- Three teens arrested in Midwest City shooting death of 14-year-old [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“How much are we going to spend on subsidies as a state? How are we going to make sure that these businesses can remain and provide the quality that we need? That is a budget conversation that we have to have as a state.”
-Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, talking about the need for Oklahoma lawmakers to address child care availability and affordability as a workforce development issue. [Oklahoma Voice]
Number of the Day
20.8%
New Census data show Oklahoma’s poverty rate for children in 2023 was 20.8%, which is the nation’s seventh highest rate. Oklahoma’s poverty rate for children increased a full percentage point when compared to 2022. [U.S. Census via OK Policy]
Policy Note
How many are in need in the US? The poverty rate is the tip of the iceberg: The poverty level—and the corresponding poverty rate—is a woefully incomplete measure of economic need. A much more relevant benchmark is the cost of a basket of basic necessities. So how many families can afford basic necessities in the U.S.? The sad answer is that for a shockingly high proportion of families, total family resources do not cover the expenses for these necessities. And that proportion rises significantly for families of color. [Brookings]
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