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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
New SoonerCare work requirements threaten coverage for Oklahomans (Capitol Update): The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) recently used a letter written on yellow paper to begin notifying certain SoonerCare (Medicaid) members to begin preparing for new federal work requirements that could impact their coverage beginning January 1, 2027. The federal 2025 budget reconciliation bill, known formally as H.R. 1 or more commonly referred to as The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), added the work requirements for Medicaid enrollees who became eligible with passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
State Government News
Oklahoma could have passed nation’s first AI child safety law: If not for a hiccup in April, Oklahoma could have beaten California to the punch in enacting first-in-the-nation, sweeping artificial intelligence legislation designed to restrict children’s use of AI and impose guardrails, similar to the bills California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Thursday. [The Journal Record]
Interim study examines workforce apprenticeship opportunities for Oklahoma students: An interim study on the expansion of aerospace and construction workforce apprenticeships was recently presented to the House Postsecondary Education Committee. [Fox 23]
Opinion: Whose job is it to set vote on OK constitutional convention?: On Aug. 25, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive proclamation setting a vote over holding a state constitutional convention for April 6, 2027. Stitt highlighted the Legislature’s failure to act, and proclaimed that his constitutional authority to enforce the law authorized him to step in. Critics cried foul, and a recent lawsuit claims that only the Legislature can authorize a convention vote. [Michael L. Smith / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
U.S. Labor Department sues Oklahoma nonprofit coffee chain over wages: The U.S. Labor Department has filed suit against an Oklahoma-based nonprofit coffee shop chain, accusing the organization of failing to pay employees minimum wage, keeping employees’ tips and violating several other federal labor laws. [The Oklahoman]
- US Department of Labor sues Oklahoma coffee chain over alleged wage violations [News 9]
U.S. senator for Oklahoma pushes for federal aid following July 4th storms: In a press release, the office of Senator James Lankford said he is leading the state’s congressional delegation in urging President Trump to approve Governor Kevin Stitt’s request for a major disaster declaration. [KOCO]
States, cities sue Trump administration over new green card restrictions: States, cities and counties filed a pair of lawsuits Monday challenging new federal rules that will allow immigrants’ use of safety net resources to be taken into account for green cards and other applications to stay in or enter the country. [Oklahoma Voice]
Some Oklahoma airport visitors will be able to greet family, friends at airport gates again: The Transportation Security Administration will now allow PreCheck members to accompany family members and loved ones to the gate, greet arriving passengers and use airport facilities and restaurants without taking a flight at 13 airports, including Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City. The program is called Gateside. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Eastern Shawnee Tribe elects new chief after 20 years: The Eastern Shawnee Tribe elected a new chief, ending a 20-year tenure for the tribe’s first female leader, Glenna Wallace, who is retiring. [KOSU]
Comanche Nation rejects pay raises for elected leaders: The tribe had three questions up for consideration as part of a Sept. 11 and 12 special election, revolving around its business committee, chairman and tribal administrator, respectively. [KOSU]
Former Muscogee Nation Chief A.D. Ellis dead at 90: The Muscogee Nation announced the death Monday afternoon of former Principal Chief A.D. Ellis. He was 90 years old and is survived by his wife, Gail. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
Trump plan to limit mail voting hinders Democrats more than GOP, analysis finds: President Donald Trump has, at times, justified his campaign against mail-in voting in explicitly partisan terms, claiming Republicans’ electoral chances hinge on whether the practice is allowed. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Supreme Court blocks new Postal Service mail ballot rules [News 9]
Inola smelting ban will appear on spring referendum ballot, moratorium will remain in effect: Inola residents will decide the fate of a massive aluminum smelter in a town-wide vote next spring. Until then, city officials have paused heavy industrial development — including the aluminum smelting facility, which would be the largest in the country. [KOSU]
Education News
New visa rule adds pressure for OU international students: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security finalized a rule ending “duration of status,” a policy that allowed international and exchange students to remain in the United States for the length of their academic program with no fixed end date. [OU Daily]
Confidential records sitting in empty charter school building are now secured, state officials say: Proud To Partner Leadership Academy, a charter high school known as PTPLA, formally closed on June 30, but for months afterward, paper copies of students’ educational records and financial documents needed for a closing audit remained in its former building in southwest Oklahoma City. [Oklahoma Voice]
Health News
Oklahoma sees fewer teen births, moves out of top 5 worst states: Though it continues to have some of the highest numbers of teen mothers, Oklahoma has cut its teenage birth rate half since 2014, according to the most recent data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma teen birth rate falls 49% since 2014, dropping out of nation’s top five [Fox 25]
Gateway to Prevention & Recovery closure complicates addiction treatment access for rural residents: Mounting financial pressures, including a significant cut in state funding and impending Medicaid changes, are forcing an Oklahoma addiction and prevention nonprofit to close after 42 years. [KOSU]
Oklahoma Senator’s son impacted by INTEGRIS clinic closure: For Democratic State Senator Carri Hicks, the impact of expected federal health care cuts has become personal as her 12-year-old son’s pediatric endocrinology clinic prepares to close. [KFOR]
Justice System News
As trials near, document dispute in State Farm roof claim cases crawl along: After nine months of drawn-out proceedings in the high-profile Hursh lawsuit, the bad faith State Farm roof claim case that has come to represent 1,000 similar cases across Oklahoma, the company now faces CEO testimony and potential document releases that raise the stakes for a trial scheduled Dec. 7. [NonDoc]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
No hot water and nowhere to go: Tulsa tenant’s battle with landlord ends in housing scramble: When Bridgett Smith moved from Sacramento to Tulsa last December, her goal was to be closer to her family. Ten months later, she and her 13-year-old niece were sleeping on the street and staying in shelters. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma renters still do not have protections against landlord retaliation like renters in 44 other states
Economy & Business News
Workers labor in record-breaking heat, but Oklahoma has no state laws providing heat safety standards: Oklahoma just saw its third-hottest August on record. Like half the nation, the state has no law regulating heat safety standards for workers exposed to high temperatures. [KOSU]
El Reno water crisis raises concern over Oklahoma law limiting local regulation of Bitcoin mines: After an illegally operating Bitcoin mine drained millions of gallons from El Reno’s water supply last month, a News 4 investigation found an Oklahoma law billed as bringing regulation to the growing industry did little to prevent it—and instead limits what cities can do to regulate Bitcoin mines themselves. [KFOR]
Community News
Heat, drought fuel wildfires across Oklahoma as localities work on prevention: As extreme heat and drought drag on, Oklahoma wildfires are burning hot and fast. Fires have burned about 5,200 acres in the state, and 53 counties were under burn bans Monday afternoon. [KOSU]
- Caddo County wildfire burns 3,000 acres, remains 0% contained [The Oklahoman]
OKC Mexican Consulate to host ‘El Grito’ celebration at Calle Dos Cinco: For the first time, Oklahoma City’s Mexican Consulate is hosting “El Grito de Independencia,” a free community event open to the public in Plaza Calle Dos Cinco to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day and honor the community of Oklahoma City. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa’s ties to AI boom grow with arrival of new manufacturing facility [Tulsa Flyer]
- Will Tulsa Community College merge with OSU? Leaders eye a ‘more formal relationship.’ [Tulsa Flyer]
- DA recommends forensic audit of Oklahoma County finances after accounting discrepancies [KOSU]
- Oklahoma City Public Schools begins formal process to rename César Chávez Elementary [News 9]
- Edmond council moving forward with Arcadia Lake upgrades, including gates and cameras [Fox 25]
- Construction starts on new $408 million bridge over Lake Texoma [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“If I would’ve known this is how this would turn out, I would’ve kept my mouth shut. I found out that Tulsa is strictly for the landlords. Tenants have nothing.”
— Bridgett Smith, a Tulsa renter evicted from her home in August. Smith and her landlord were in the midst of a dispute over unpaid rent and unsafe living conditions when she contacted the Tulsa Health Department. She received an eviction notice four days after the inspection that left her scrambling to find housing. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Number of the Day
2 weeks
In Oklahoma, a renter can go from being one day late on rent to being physically removed from their home in under two weeks. The eviction timeline, one of the shortest in the country, makes it nearly impossible for tenants to gather back rent, make arrangements to show up in court, or find alternate housing. [Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation & OK Policy]
Policy Note
The Scarlet E: Confronting the Life-Altering Consequences of an Eviction: For renters in the United States, experiencing an eviction can shape long-term well-being—even when it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. That eviction case forces renters into an immediate scramble to find a new place to live, while leaving a permanent scar on their rental history. Because there are few limits on who has access to court records or how long they remain available, the stain of a single eviction filing severely restricts future housing opportunities. The barrier to stability is so profound that researchers have given it a specific designation: the “Scarlet E.” [Eviction Lab]
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