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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: Good government doesn’t make headlines: Election campaigns are filled with bold promises to fix problems, get rid of what people dislike, and shake things up, because it helps candidates stand out. Candidates make ambitious claims to win our attention — and our votes. But while campaigns too often reward the loudest promises, effective governing depends on the quieter work of making things run smoothly. [Shiloh Kantz / Journal Record]
State Government News
Health department can’t change Oklahoma gender designations on birth certificate, court rules: State law has never allowed changes to the sex designation on Oklahoman’s birth certificates, the state’s high court ruled. The Oklahoma Supreme Court issued the 6-3 ruling on Tuesday following questions from a federal appellate court stemming from a lawsuit filed by three transgender individuals who sought to change the sex designation on their birth certificates. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma’s foster care rates haven’t kept pace with rising costs, advocates say: Reimbursement rates for foster care families have remained unchanged since 2018. Families receive as low as $17 per day to cover the cost of food, clothing, shelter and supplies for the child in their care. [KOSU]
Oklahoma Department of Securities Sues Vesta Realty for Failing to Hand Over Subpoenaed Documents: Another lawsuit has been filed against Vesta Realty and its CEO, Marc Kulick. The Oklahoma Department of Securities is suing Vesta, alleging the company failed to provide internal documents the department subpoenaed. [Oklahoma Watch]
Long Story Short: Jail Accountability, Epic Charter Trial Delays and SQ 845 (podcast): Investigating a recent death inside the Oklahoma County jail and examining why the multi-million-dollar embezzlement case against Epic Charter Schools’ co-founders remains unscheduled for trial after four years of procedural delays. Plus, a breakdown of tate Question 845 and its proposed changes to Oklahoma’s Judicial Nominating Commission. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: SQ 845 Fact Sheet | What’s on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 elections in Oklahoma?
Federal Government News
‘Very friendly territory’: The politics behind President Trump’s Oklahoma rally: With President Donald Trump stumping in our state this evening, StateImpact’s Logan Layden talked with OU political science professor Allyson Shortle about the politics of the visit. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
- Trump heads to Oklahoma as GOP faces midterm election concerns [The Oklahoman]
- Trump Is Playing Defense in Trump Country [The New York Times]
Congressional watchdog says Trump administration can’t defy lawmakers to revoke $810M: The Trump administration must spend the $810 million that it said last week it planned to cancel, according to a report released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. [Oklahoma Voice]
US Supreme Court allows Trump to resume deportations outside immigrants’ home countries: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted, for now, the Trump administration’s request to continue rapid third-country deportation of immigrants to countries not their own. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Eagle Aviary sounds alarm over lead ammunition following bird death: Citizen Potawatomi Nation Eagle Aviary is sounding the alarm about lead ammunition and its role in the death of an eagle it released last year. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
In CD 5 race, Rep. Stephanie Bice ‘declines to debate at this time’: Incumbent U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice has declined a proposal to participate in a debate ahead of the Nov. 3 election for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District. Seeking a fourth term in Congress, Bice (R-OK5) faces Democrat Jena Nelson and independent candidates Robert P. Henri and Austin Nieves in the general election. [NonDoc]
Education News
Education Watch: Judge’s Decision Clears A Path for Jewish Charter School: An Oklahoma City federal judge blocked the state from excluding faith-based charter schools, a decision that opens the door for the nation’s first publicly-funded religious school. [Oklahoma Watch]
OU announces OU Onward scholarship to cover tuition, fees for some in-state students: OU announced OU Onward, a new scholarship program aimed at covering tuition and average fees for in-state students whose family has an adjusted gross income of $60,000 to $75,000 and do not qualify for Oklahoma’s Promise. [OU Daily]
- New University of Oklahoma scholarship to cover tuition, average fees for in-state students [Tulsa World]
Health News
OKC trust approves $1M incentive for OU health campus expansion: The latest effort to improve the state’s historically poor health outcomes comes in the form of a joint resolution allocating up to $1 million in economic development incentives to support a major research expansion at the University of Oklahoma’s health campus, which was approved by the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust this week. [The Oklahoman]
Justice System News
Oklahoma County killer to seek clemency ahead of November execution: A man convicted of gunning down a father of two will ask the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board for clemency, saying that he was wrongfully convicted. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma County Detention Center to host job fair, seeking detention officers, medical staff: The Oklahoma County Detention Center is hosting a job fair next week. It will take place on-site at the jail, where chronic understaffing has persisted for years. [KOSU]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Hunger Hides in Plain Sight: North Tulsa Deserves More Than Awareness: Hunger does not always look like an empty plate. Sometimes it looks like a full-time worker standing in a grocery aisle doing math. It is a senior deciding whether medication or groceries can wait, a college student skipping dinner, or a family that appears completely stable while stretching every dollar behind closed doors. Someone experiencing homelessness it may simply mean wondering where their next safe meal will come from. Food insecurity often hides in plain sight. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Opinion: Why homelessness in Oklahoma City is ‘a math problem’ (interview): For more than a decade, Meghan Mueller has been working to assist the homeless population in Oklahoma City. A University of Oklahoma graduate with an advanced degree in social work administration, Mueller joined the community’s Homeless Alliance as a graduate student and has seen it grow over the past several years into a current team of about 100 staff members. [Jessie Christopher Smith / The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
‘Touchless claims’: State Farm documents reveal intent to automate claims process with AI: In 2020, State Farm began planning for a future in which artificial intelligence, not humans, would handle most elements of insurance claims. As Americans grapple with the accelerating impacts of AI on society, documents revealed this week in the high-profile Hursh lawsuit shine light on the “expense/efficiency aspirations” of a corporate giant seeking “outcome-based claim handling.” [NonDoc]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa’s Ari Yvon prepares to debut music shaped by memory, heritage and home [Tulsa Flyer]
- Tulsa’s Pride celebrations arrive in October. Where can you celebrate? [Tulsa Flyer]
- Tulsa Hall of Fame to add six inductees in ceremony Monday [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa Performing Arts Center will need bridge loans for some planned improvements, official says [Tulsa World]
- Kerr community protests potential school closure [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“Foster parents don’t do it for the money, but lack of money is costing us foster parents. When the reimbursement doesn’t cover the real cost [of childcare], fostering effectively requires the family to subsidize the child welfare system.”
– Laynie Gottsch, a longtime Oklahoma foster parent, on the state’s stagnant foster care reimbursement rates. [KOSU]
Number of the Day
$17.72
The daily reimbursement Oklahoma provides foster families caring for a child age 5 or younger. Current rates increase only slightly with age — to $20.42 per day for children ages 6–12 and $22.62 per day for youth 13 and older. These reimbursements are intended to help cover costs like food, clothing, shelter, school supplies, and other everyday needs, but have not kept pace with inflation and are increasingly insufficient to cover the actual costs of caring for a child. [Oklahoma Human Services]
Policy Note
Foster Care: Understanding the Basics: In the United States, more than 400,000 children are in foster care on a given day. The most vulnerable children, those who are abused and neglected in society, are most typically the ones falling through the cracks of a broken foster care system. While the goal of the child welfare system should be clear — placing children in the most safe and nurturing environments possible — the pathways and policies in place to do just that are often ineffective, unsuccessful, or inconsistent. This Brief takes a closer look at the foster care system, key legislation, proposed reforms, and how children, youth, and young adults are impacted. [The Policy Circle]
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