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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
WATCH: Private Immigration Detention in Oklahoma: Watonga & Sayre deserve better than CoreCivic’s broken promises (video): CoreCivic, a private prison company with a terrible history in Oklahoma, is pushing to reopen shuttered Oklahoma prisons in Watonga and Sayre — this time as immigration detention centers. OK Policy’s Gabriela Ramirez-Perez and Polina Rozhkova sat down with us to explain why facilities are bad for community well-being and what we can do to stop them from reopening. [OK Policy on YouTube]
Oklahoma News
SQ 836’s ‘open primaries’ petition deemed legally sufficient to proceed: A group dedicated to opening Oklahoma’s primary elections can move forward with its initiative petition, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. Petitioners of SQ 836 will have 90 days to collect nearly 173,000 valid signatures from Oklahoma voters. [NonDoc]
- Open primary ballot plan OK’d by Oklahoma Supreme Court [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court clears path for open primary question to reach voters [KFOR]
- Opinion: Breaking down barriers — in business and in politics [Erika Lucas / The Journal Record]
State Government News
Cutting mental health contracts has Tulsa lawmaker, provider concerned: A veteran provider of mental health services in the Tulsa area and a Tulsa lawmaker have expressed concerns about cuts to contracts for services announced recently by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa mental health providers brace for budget cuts from state department of health [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Oklahoma lawmaker to host interim study on effects of data centers: With the expansion of data centers across Oklahoma and the nation, State Representative Amanda Clinton is hosting an interim study for the legislature to learn more about it—describing herself as “not anti-data center,” but wanting to proceed with caution. [2 News Oklahoma]
Lawmaker conducts study to fix state’s overpopulation of animals: A rogue Chihuahua with a penchant for ankle biting was the catalyst for a Sept. 11 interim study on the state’s overpopulation of stray cats and dogs. [Southwest Ledger]
Federal Government News
U.S. Education Department boosts funds for HBCUs, tribal colleges, charter schools: President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday it will redirect $495 million in additional funding to historically Black colleges and universities as well as tribal colleges. [Oklahoma Voice]
Trump deploys National Guard troops to Memphis for anti-crime task force: President Donald Trump Monday directed Tennessee’s National Guard deployed to the Democratic-led city of Memphis, following similar actions in the District of Columbia that Trump has said were needed to tackle crime. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: No right is absolute, but Constitution offers strong protections for free speech: There are reasons to question the premises for protecting extreme speech that threatens or could incite violence. Indeed, in the aftermath of the tragic Charlie Kirk killing, political leaders on one side have threatened a crackdown on the speech of the other, without acknowledging that heated political rhetoric exists on both sides. [Joseph Thai / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: To celebrate Constitution Day, actually read it: In the spirit of keeping our republic intact during our uncertain times, celebrate Constitution Day on Wednesday. Plenty of ways exist to recognize this important date. Americans already have down carrying guns and protesting. Try something different, like writing a congressional representative about something important. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
State lawmaker won’t bring back bill on tribal citizenship for freedmen descendants: Speaking at a Monday afternoon meeting of the nonprofit organization Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Tribes, Rep. Ron Stewart said he filed House Bill 1118 earlier this year in an attempt to provoke conversations and get the attention of the Muscogee Nation leadership. [Tulsa World]
Three familiar candidates campaign for open Mvskoke District B seat: After no candidate initially filed to succeed retiring Rep. Joyce Deere for the Mvskoke District “B” seat on the Muscogee National Council, a second filing window drew the three candidates: Jessina Brown, Lora Ann Harjo-King and Sandra Parish. [NonDoc]
Lowe, Wind challenge incumbent Nelson Harjo Sr. in Okmulke District B seat: Joshua Randall “J.R.” Wind and former Rep. William Lowe are challenging Okmulke District “B” seat incumbent Rep. Nelson Harjo Sr. in the 2025 Muscogee National Council election. Harjo is seeking his second term in office after unseating Rep. James Jennings in 2021. [NonDoc]
Cherokee Nation Council approves $3.65B budget for fiscal year 2026: The Council of the Cherokee Nation has approved a $3.65 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 after the comprehensive financial plan was proposed by Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner last month. [The Journal Record]
Voting and Election News
Anti-Trans Ads Already Making An Appearance In Oklahoma’s Republican Gubernatorial Primary: Candidates in Oklahoma’s Republican gubernatorial primary are trying to prove they will be the most in line with President Donald Trump’s agenda — and at least one is taking a page from Trump’s 2024 campaign playbook. The former speaker of the Oklahoma House, Charles McCall, is going up with a new ad about transgender people in sports, and in it attacked one of his conservative competitors. [Oklahoma Watch]
Education News
What’s changed, and what hasn’t, now that Oklahoma’s social studies standards are on pause: The Oklahoma Supreme Court issued the temporary stay on Monday, Sept. 15, saying it will remain in place as the court considers a lawsuit challenging the social studies standards. The court’s ruling bans the state from spending any money to enforce or implement the standards while the case is ongoing. [The Oklahoman]
OKC Public Schools rescinds Montessori charter contract, cites ‘irreconcilable differences’: Oklahoma City Public Schools and the planned Oklahoma Public Montessori Initiative have mutually agreed to rescind OPMI’s charter contract, which had been under heightened scrutiny as the school failed to make progress toward opening in time for the 2025-2026 school year. [NonDoc]
- OKCPS ends contract with Montessori charter school that struggled to get off the ground [The Oklahoman]
Health News
Rural hospitals often scrap labor and delivery services after mergers, study finds: Rural hospitals are less likely to offer obstetric services after they’ve been acquired by a larger health system, leading to mixed outcomes for mothers and babies, according to new research. It’s part of an accelerating trend that’s reshaped how Americans get health care: Larger health systems gobble up smaller facilities in a bid for financial stability. [Oklahoma Voice]
First responders, other professionals talk compassionate communication in mental illness support: Mental health professionals, first responders, and caregivers gathered at the University of Oklahoma Tulsa campus this week to learn how to better support people living with mental health conditions that have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Tulsa first responders study collision of mental health and homelessness amid Stitt’s camp sweeps [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Criminal Justice News
Nonprofit calls for OK County jail to be returned to sheriff after latest leadership shakeup: The latest shakeup in leadership at the Oklahoma County jail appears to have blindsided Paul Timmons, who resigned as interim CEO after being called into an executive session of the trust that runs the jail. [The Oklahoman]
Charges filed against Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk; prosecutors will seek death penalty: Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced that his office has filed charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, accused of shooting and killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during a crowded outdoor speaking event last week. [Oklahoma Voice]
OSBI: Man fatally shot after firing at law enforcement officers in Cherokee County: A25-year-old man was fatally shot by law enforcement Sunday following a two-county pursuit that ended in Cherokee County, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma City officials warn of court scam call: Have you gotten a weird phone call from someone saying they’re with the Oklahoma City Municipal Court? You may be on the receiving end of a scam that’s circulating, and city officials want you to stay alert and avoid becoming the next victim. [KFOR]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
We fact-checked Oklahoma officials on efforts to clear Tulsa’s homeless camps: Gov. Kevin Stitt claimed that a large portion of Tulsa’s homeless population isn’t from Oklahoma as he celebrated a new initiative to clean up camps under highway bridges and overpasses, even though surveys say otherwise. [The Frontier]
Mayor Nichols signs ordinance limiting access to sidewalks and medians, but urges changes: Mayor Monroe Nichols has signed into law a city ordinance that limits individual’s access to medians and sidewalks but did so with an accompanying letter to city councilors urging them to amend the measure. [Tulsa World]
Local nonprofit aims to address eviction rates in Tulsa: A local nonprofit said addressing Tulsa’s eviction rates should be a key goal to ending or reducing the homelessness population. OK Access to Justice works with several state and local agencies towards improving different parts of the justice system. One of those is eviction courts. [Fox 23]
- From OK Policy: Lengthening the eviction timeline will increase access to justice for Oklahoma renters
Economy & Business News
Job hugging trend emerges amid hiring slowdown: The phenomenon known as “job hugging” — where employees cling to their positions out of necessity rather than desire in an unstable labor market — has replaced job hopping, multiple news sources have reported in recent weeks. [The Journal Record]
Local Headlines
- 918 Day is Thursday. Here’s how you can celebrate [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Contemporary’s ArtNow 2025 features more than 2 dozen local artists [KOSU]
Quote of the Day
“To break the cycle of hospitalization, of homelessness, we need to engage people. We need to build relationships. Befriending people and gaining their trust is the key to breaking the revolving door of homelessness, criminalization and hospitalization.”
– Dr. Xavier Amador, speaking to a room full of Tulsa’s mental health professionals, first responders, and caregivers learning how to better support people living with mental health conditions with compassion and understanding. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- From OK Policy: Housing ends homelessness. Confinement makes it worse.
Number of the Day
144%
For every 100 inpatient hospital beds designated for psychiatric treatment, 144 are being utilized, stretching providers’ capacity to treat patients who need mental health care and resulting in providers relying on other resources to try and meet demand. [CBS News]
Policy Note
Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Could Exacerbate the Behavioral Health Crisis: President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget requested $31 billion in cuts to the discretionary budget for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The cuts to grant funds would magnify Medicaid losses, leaving even fewer resources for community-based providers and causing many to shut down. [The Commonwealth Fund]
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