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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
Poverty in Oklahoma: A statistical overview of poverty and how to reduce it: OK Policy’s Research Director Anthony Flores shared with lawmakers an overview of poverty in Oklahoma, including defining poverty, showing which residents live in poverty, and what the state can do to address the problem. Flores and OK Policy Fiscal Policy Analyst Aanahita Ervin spoke during an Oct. 10, 2024, interim study in the Oklahoma Senate focused on decreasing poverty in Oklahoma. [Anthony Flores / OK Policy]
Tax credits are anti-poverty tools: OK Policy’s Fiscal Policy Analyst Aanahita Ervin spoke with lawmakers about how state tax credits can be an effective tool in reducing poverty. Targeted tax credits can be used as a tool to fight poverty in Oklahoma because the tax system is an important part of the social safety net for families. [Aanahita Ervin / OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated with an eye on the election: As Native Americans across the U.S. come together on Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate their history and culture and acknowledge the ongoing challenges they face, many will do so with a focus on the election. [The Journal Record]
- Tulsa celebrates Native American Day: ‘We have perhaps never been more amplified’ [Tulsa World]
- ‘We are still here’: OU community celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day with tribal walk, ceremony [OU Daily]
- Tribal leaders send message on Native American Day: vote [Public Radio Tulsa]
State Government News
Stitt hires new general counsel with ties to Catholic charter school push: Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday announced the hiring of a new general counsel with family ties to state government and a commitment to pursuing taxpayer-funded religious schools. Ben Lepak is the son of state Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, and the brother of Oklahoma State Board of Education member Sarah Lepak, a 2022 Stitt appointee. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma needs to improve anti-poverty programs, advocates say: More than 500,000 Oklahomans who struggle with poverty, including about 125,000 who are children, would be better served if the state were to make some low-cost changes to programs it runs to help people in need. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma Supreme Court to hear case against Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett: The Oklahoma Supreme Court will take up a case three Republican state representatives brought against Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett. Representative Tom Gann (R-Inola), Rep. Kevin West (R-Moore), and Rep.Rick West (R-Heavener) believe Hiett should step down as commissioner after facing sexual misconduct allegations. [Fox 25]
Superintendent Ryan Walters’ legal fees surpass $100,000 amid multiple lawsuits: As Superintendent Ryan Walters sees the inside of a courtroom more with recent court dates piling up, he’s also racked up more than $100,000 in attorney fees in a five-month time span. [KTUL]
Roundup: Paul Bondar lawsuit, Ethics Commission issues, Norman library litigation: The City of Norman has announced litigation against the architects and builders of its doomed $39 million library. Former congressional candidate Paul Bondar also filed a lawsuit recently. Oklahoma Ethics Commission had a busy meeting Friday, approving a settlement agreement with a state bureaucrat who violated impartiality rules. Read about all of that — and more — in this roundup. [NonDoc]
Federal Government News
USDA awards money assist public education in Southeast Oklahoma: Recently, State Director Kenneth Corn, for the United States Department of Agriculture, issued grant awards to Atoka Schools, Caney Schools, Choctaw Nation, Clayton Schools, Howe Schools and the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center to support public education in Oklahoma. [McAlester News-Capital]
Tribal Nations News
Two tribal nations in Oklahoma take stand against media portrayals of their people: News broke earlier this year that Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan bought the rights to the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon to create an adaptation that will air either in a television show or film. In response, the Comanche Nation passed a resolution in its business meeting on Oct. 5 condemning the acclaimed book about the tribe’s rise and fall, noting its inaccuracies and stereotypes. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Voting and Election News
Oklahoma voters to decide the fate of public infrastructure districts: Voters in the Nov. 5 election are being asked to decide a state question that would allow the creation of public infrastructure districts to pay for things like sidewalks, water lines, sewers and roadways. [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: SQ 833: Public Infrastructure Districts
SD 15: Elizabeth Foreman, Lisa Standridge differ on library funding, education policies: As voters in the most rural parts of Cleveland County prepare to elect someone new to State Senate District 15 for the first time in more than a decade, Democrat Elizabeth Foreman and Republican Lisa Standridge have clashed over funding for public libraries and the school-choice tax credit created by the Oklahoma Legislature in 2023. [NonDoc]
Opinion: Group criticized for effort to sway judicial elections, but that’s how the democratic process works: During the 2024 legislative session, the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs lobbied the state Legislature to change our system of selecting judges to one that mirrors the national government model. Now, OCPA is using the current system to attempt to influence the outcome of judicial retention ballots for three state Supreme Court judges they view as out of step with the preferences of Oklahoma voters. Supporters of the current system – and ostensibly of these judges – are crying “foul.” [James Davenport / Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Former Oklahoma teacher Summer Boismier asks judge to restore her teaching license: A former Norman High School teacher, whose teaching certification was revoked for sharing a link to an online library containing banned books, has asked a judge to restore her license to work in Oklahoma public schools. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Former Norman teacher Summer Boismier asks judge to reverse revocation of her license [The Oklahoman]
- Summer Boismier files to overturn OSDE order revoking teaching license [The Norman Transcript]
- Former Norman educator petitions court to reestablish revoked Oklahoma teaching license [Public Radio Tulsa]
Blake Shelton returns to Ada High School for Music Will instrument donations: A plan was formulated for Ada High School graduate Blake Shelton to come back to his alma mater for a special event. [Tulsa World]
- Country music star Blake Shelton visits Oklahoma high school to highlight benefits of music education [KOCO5]
Broken Arrow eyeing redistricting for middle schools: Citing uneven enrollment growth within the district and a desire to maintain smaller class sizes, Broken Arrow Public Schools is considering changing the attendance areas for all five middle schools for the 2025-26 school year. [Tulsa World]
Bilingual reading, ag training program opens to Oklahoma teachers: Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom offers a teacher training program to reach more Spanish-speaking kids in the classroom. About 9% of Oklahoma public school students are English Language Learners, and the number of students enrolled has grown recently, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. [KOSU]
Health News
Free Medicare enrollment help available from LIFE Senior Services starting this week: LIFE Senior Services is offering free Medicare enrollment assistance to eligible seniors beginning Tuesday and continuing through the end of the open enrollment period Dec. 7. [Tulsa World]
Another MAPS 4 Mental Health and Addiction project is being planned for northeast OKC: Staff with the Edmond-based design firm SA.Studio have studied property at 1200 NE 13 and recommended the site this month as a location for the upcoming crisis center under the MAPS 4 Mental Health and Addiction Project. The site would place the new crisis center on the east side of the OU Health Sciences campus and in the corner of the Innovation District, east of Interstate 235. [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Why a 14-year-old’s arrest with a stolen gun is a reminder for all firearm owners: According to Tulsa Police Department information, about 1.8 guns are stolen per day on average, 70% from vehicles, many of which were left unlocked. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
What’s next for home prices as interest rates improve?: Despite a recent uptick, mortgage rates are expected to decrease in 2025, which could result in an influx of buyers in the market and what could be a continued upward trend in home prices, according to an Oklahoma expert. [The Journal Record]
Electric vehicle market grows slowly in Oklahoma: Electric vehicle sales continue to grow, just not at the rate of explosive growth predicted a few years ago. [The Journal Record]
Local Headlines
- Moore woman gets another legal chance to prove Moore, water company caused sewage backup [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“We are at a crucial juncture in our history where our voices have never been more necessary.”
-Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill said as Tribal nations from across Oklahoma gathered Monday in Dream Keepers Park for Tulsa’s annual Native American Day celebrations. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Number of the Day
1.6%
Adults who are not working or looking for work account for only 1.6 percent of Oklahomans in poverty. The largest groups living in poverty are children, working adults, seniors, and the disabled. [OK Policy] | [Graph]
Policy Note
Do the benefits of the expanded child tax credit actually fade with time?: A new working paper from two economists at Columbia University examines the effects of long-run cash and quasi-cash transfer programs (like food stamps) in the U.S. in an effort to predict the overall effects of a child allowance over the very long run. Instead of the grim and jobless future forecast by expanded child tax credit critics, they find that a future shaped by a permanent child allowance is well worth the investment. Ananat and Garfinkel found that the total long-run benefits to society of making a child allowance permanent outweigh the costs by nearly 10 to 1. While the paper may not sway skeptical economists, the dramatic returns could still help build political momentum to pass the policy. [Vox]
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