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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.
Oklahoma News
Report compares Oklahoma private school tax credits to voucher programs across U.S.: Researchers behind the first comprehensive analysis of new universal school choice programs in eight states say Oklahoma’s is designed with a barrier that is a “disincentive” for families who cannot afford private school without a tax credit. FutureEd, an independent think tank at Georgetown University, just released its report, “Early Returns: First Results from the New Wave of Public Funding of Private Schooling,” in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia. [Tulsa World]
- From OK Policy archive: Private school tax credits will give everyone’s taxes to people who don’t need our help
State Government News
Oklahoma lawmakers explore how to protect kids from social media dangers: High rates of anxiety and depression among teens in Oklahoma may be among dark side effects of widespread and often compulsive use of social media, a psychologist told lawmakers last week. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma governor’s new general counsel resigns from Statewide Charter School Board: Gov. Kevin Stitt’s new general counsel has submitted his resignation from the Statewide Charter School Board, a spokeswoman for Stitt said Friday. Stitt appointed Ben Lepak to serve as his top attorney on Monday. [The Oklahoman]
Pae co-hosts session to identify rural healthcare needs: Rep. Daniel Pae recently co-hosted an interim House study to help identify healthcare challenges facing rural Oklahomans, with an eye toward crafting help in the 2025 legislative session. [Lawton Constitution]
Political notebook: Rural Oklahomans get $2.8 million in federal energy grants: Twenty-one U.S. Department of Agriculture grants totaling more than $2.8 million were awarded to individuals, businesses and the Cherokee Nation to build rural renewable energy projects across Oklahoma. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: The Oklahoma governor’s taxpayer-funded plane rides beg the question: Why have unenforceable laws?: Earlier this year, Oklahoma Voice put in an Open Records request seeking copies of five years of flight logs for trips arranged by the Governor’s Office. Simply put, we wanted to know how often and why Gov. Kevin Stitt and his wife have been using the state plane. Luckily, a state law requires ODOT to maintain flight logs that clearly state the purpose of flights along with a complete list of passengers. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that the same law is as holy as swiss cheese, leading to conflicting interpretations, no serious penalties – like fines – for noncompliance, and less than ideal transparency for Oklahomans who deserve to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Rhetoric versus reality: Addressing common misconceptions about immigration: Taking a closer look at myths vs. realities when it comes to the issue of immigration. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Opinion: Trump’s Campaign Against Immigrants Echoes Earlier White Supremacist Tirades [Milton Coleman / Oklahoma Eagle]
Tribal Nations News
Housing needs are dire in the Cherokee Nation. Here’s what tribal leaders are doing right now: The Cherokee Nation has for years increased its investments in housing for its citizens. Since the Cherokee Nation passed the Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act in 2019, and with a $120 million boost in 2022, the tribe has built more than 360 homes and rehabbed more than 900 others. [PBS]
Medicaid will cover traditional healing practices for Native Americans in 4 states: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that Medicaid programs in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oregon, is set to cover traditional health practices such as music therapy, sweat lodges, and dancing to help with physical and mental health. It’s a two-year pilot program that applies at Indian Health Service facilities, tribal facilities, and urban Indian organizations. [KGOU]
Native women fought for years to expand Plan B access. But some tribal clinics remain resistant: The emergency contraceptive pill Plan B, which can prevent pregnancy following unprotected sex, has been available over the counter at most American pharmacies for more than a decade. But in more than 100 federally funded clinics and pharmacies run by or on behalf of Native American tribal nations, the medication is harder to access — if it’s available at all. [KOSU]
Oklahoma nonprofit opens new building to help formerly incarcerated tribal members: An Oklahoma City nonprofit called Native Wings Like An Eagle held a grand opening for the building the organization will now operate out of. The organization helps enrolled tribal members coming out of incarceration with reintegration services like finding housing, food and employment. [Fox 25]
Coweta poised for economic explosion: $100 million casino ‘going to be a game changer’: Coweta is already one of the fastest-growing communities in the state and is poised for an economic explosion. The Muscogee Nation is building a $100 million casino on the north side of town, which will bring 250 jobs and result in the city’s largest private employer, slightly edging its current largest private employer — Walmart. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
Why Oklahoma has been less engaged politically than other states: Election Day is rapidly approaching, and for some people, it can’t get here soon enough. Mental health experts agree the constant news updates and social media posts can heighten stress and anxiety – and even cause people to disengage. [Journal Record]
Monday marks last day Oklahomans can request absentee ballot for November election: Monday marks another important deadline ahead of the November election as it’s the last day for Oklahomans to request an absentee ballot. [KOCO]
- From Together Oklahoma: Voting in Oklahoma: Everything you need to know
Election roundup
- State questions on Nov. 5 ballot both put up by Legislature [Tulsa World]
- What to Know About State Question 833 and Authorizing Public Infrastructure Districts [Oklahoma Watch]
- State Questions with OK Policy (audio) [Oklahoma Education Association podcast]
- Oklahoma voters to decide on 12 state judges on Nov. 5 election ballot [Tulsa World]
- Three on Nov. 5 ballot for Oklahoma Corporation Commission [Tulsa World]
- Trio trying to succeed longest-serving Corporation Commission member [NonDoc]
- Underdog Oklahoma Congressional candidates appeal to the middle [Tulsa World]
- House District 20: Johnathan Wilk, Mitchell Jacob disagree over corporal punishment in schools [NonDoc]
- Five state House races will appear on suburban Tulsa ballots Nov. 5 [Tulsa World]
- Republicans favored in Tulsa County area state Senate races [Tulsa World]
- Fentanyl crisis, gangs, youth at risk inspire Oklahoma County sheriff candidate [The Oklahoman]
- How OK County sheriff, who wants reelected, got started in law enforcement: He met a cop. [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa Mayor’s Race: A Faceoff Between Two Brands of Democrats [Oklahoma Eagle]
- Tulsa mayoral candidate Karen Keith faces cease and desist for unauthorized photo [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Brent VanNorman to join Karen Keith’s transition team if she wins Tulsa mayor election [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa District 9: Fowler faces Bush as housing, infrastructure draw resident concerns [NonDoc]
- Former state Rep. Carrol Bush looking to unseat incumbent City Councilor Jayme Fowler [Tulsa World]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma’s 2024 general election | Resources and other information you need to know
U.S. cybersecurity chief says election systems have ‘never been more secure’: Amid widespread concerns of outside interference influencing the results this year’s presidential election, the head of the country’s cybersecurity agency says election infrastructure is more secure than ever. [NPR]
Are Oklahoma’s elections secure? State officials address concerns after terrorism arrest: Though Oklahoma has been known for its secure elections, the recent arrest of an Afghan national who the FBI said was planning an Election Day terrorist attack has many state officials working overtime to ensure poll workers and voters are safe. But those officials don’t want to say too much about exactly how they are addressing potential safety concerns. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion, Capitol Insider: Oklahomans get ready to head to the polls for the General Election: Capitol Insider host Dick Pryor and Quorum Call publisher Shawn Ashley speak with Oklahoma Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax about the upcoming general election. [KGOU]
Opinion: A Wesleyan perspective on the responsibility of voting with wisdom and grace: Voting is an act of the free exercise of both citizenship and religion for those who are religious. It is an act of conviction done with love for all others. In 1774, the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, regarding both candidates and voters, advised participants to: (1) Vote for the person most worthy; (2) Speak no evil of the person voted against; and (3) Not become “sharpened in spirit” against those who voted on the other side. This counsel still resonates in today’s heated and polarized political contest now racing toward Election Day. [Rev. Rockford Johnson / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Would voting send me back to prison? No one in local government can answer: On May 13, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1629, a bill passed ― effective Jan. 1, 2025 ― restoring voting rights to justice-impacted people after receiving a pardon or commutation of their sentence. I am deeply concerned that outreach and education will completely miss the community the law is supposed to benefit. As many individuals are uncertain about their eligibility to vote, we must replace outdated misconceptions and utilize education to empower justice-impacted people to exercise their right. [Tiffani Shaw / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Many politicians have worked to fuel doubts about elections, despite no evidence: For 200 years, American elections were internationally viewed as the freest, fairest and most accurate in the world. But now, thanks to the unfounded claims made in 2020, some Americans have begun to doubt the integrity of those elections. And many politicians have worked to increase those doubts, even though there is no evidence that American elections are anything but free, fair and accurate. There is plenty of talking about it, and plenty of conspiracy theories, but no evidence. [Robert Konieczny / The Oklahoman]
Opinion, Tulsa World editor: Why you can trust the Tulsa World despite what you may hear about mass media: You may have heard recently that Americans say their trust in mass media has fallen to a record low. When you look at how some in the media world scheme to push misinformation and disinformation, such poll results aren’t shocking. But thanks to the support of subscribers as well as businesses and organizations that advertise with the Tulsa World, you still have journalists you can trust in this community. [Jason Collington / Tulsa World]
Education News
Five takeaways from our reporting on Oklahoma’s continued search for solutions to bullying: The School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act requires districts to create policies for reporting and investigating bullying, but the bill’s author says there’s more work to do. [The Frontier]
Oklahoma higher ed workers navigate gaps in paid parental leave: lawmakers say it’s time to fix that: Of the 25 colleges and universities in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, only six offer paid parental leave. Institutions without these policies rely on the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. They can take unpaid time or dip into their PTO, which can incentivize an earlier return to work. [StateImpact Oklahoma via Public Radio Tulsa]
Final Day For Bids On Bibles In Oklahoma Classrooms Arrives Amid Lawsuit And Controversy: After the Oklahoma State Department of Education mandated the teaching of the Bible in a historical context in classrooms across the state, Monday will be the final day companies can submit a bid to supply the religious text and accompanying documents. [News 9]
OSU part of national network creating 10-year ag research plan: The national network of agricultural experiment stations at the nation’s land-grant universities, agInnovation, is launching a working 10-year Research Roadmap. [Enid News & Eagle]
Tulsa middle and high schools adjust to added security measures: In the wake of a nationwide spike in school violence threats made via social media, Superintendent Ebony Johnson announced in September that when students returned Wednesday from fall break, all TPS secondary sites would incorporate mandatory bag checks and student screening via wanding or metal detectors every day until further notice. [Tulsa World]
Educators already looking toward 2026 election as they look to counteract Ryan Walters: That state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has become a polarizing political figure is not in dispute. His supporters and detractors wage battle daily on social media, with the latter ― including many Oklahoma educators ― often vowing to display their fury in the voting booth in November. But practically, how can that be done? [The Oklahoman]
- Petition calls for impeachment of Oklahoma’s Superintendent Ryan Walters [KTUL]
- Oklahoma Official Hit With Lawsuit for Trump Bible Scam [The New Republic]
Oklahoma State Chief Ryan Walters: ‘Trump’s Won the Argument on Education’: No state education chief has done more to show just how in line he is with Donald Trump than Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s elected superintendent of public instruction. In fact, Walters has pursued an agenda—both in policy and rhetoric—molded so closely in the MAGA image that many suspect he’s auditioning for a role in a potential second Trump administration, and that he could be a real contender for secretary of education. [Education Week]
Health News
Whooping cough cases surge in Oklahoma, US: What to know, symptoms to watch for: The nation’s whooping cough levels have increased by over 300%, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, and Oklahoma is seeing 30 times the amount from this time last year. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious disease caused by bacteria that can cause severe coughing fits. [The Oklahoman]
OU Health places last beam in behavioral health hospital for children: A ceremony Thursday celebrated the construction of what will be the latest addition to the OU Health Medical Center, a new behavioral health hospital for children. [KGOU]
Criminal Justice News
Grandson of Tulsa massacre survivor who fought back shares story as DOJ reviews: As one of the descendants recently interviewed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Michael Eugene Penny still remembers his grandfather vividly telling him the story of how he survived and fought to protect his family during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Will Tulsa pay reparations for the Tulsa Race Massacre? This group will answer that question [Tulsa World]
- Commission to explore 1921 Race Massacre reparations in the form of housing for north Tulsa [Public Radio Tulsa]
- DOJ visits Tulsa to interview massacre descendants, survivors [Journal Record]
Brent Swadley moves step closer to jury trial in criminal conspiracy case: The owner of Swadley’s Bar-B-Q moved closer Friday to a jury trial in his criminal case after choosing not to have a preliminary hearing over the evidence against him. [The Oklahoman]
‘Perfect storm’ of problems cause flooding at Oklahoma County Jail: Multiple system failures at the Oklahoma County Jail recently left some areas flooded and detainees without hot water. An Oklahoma County Corrections spokesperson said although the failures in the jail’s sump pumps, a fire suppression system and a hot water line occurred within days of each other, they weren’t related. [KOSU]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Oklahoma stands to lose hundreds of low-income homes by 2030: Oklahoma stands to lose hundreds of existing affordable housing units in coming years as regulatory periods expire. This comes as the housing market is already struggling to meet demand and remains largely inaccessible to impoverished and low-income renters. [Oklahoma City Free Press]
Oklahoma State NAACP Announces 2024 Convention: The Oklahoma State NAACP Conference will hold its 113th Annual Convention November 1-2, 2024 on the campus of Oklahoma City Community College. This year’s conference theme is “All In: Closing The Wealth Gap.” [The Black Wall Street Times]
Economy & Business News
Federal agency closes Oklahoma bank citing ‘false and deceptive’ records: Citing “false and deceptive bank records and other information suggesting fraud,” the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday closed the First National Bank of Lindsay. [The Oklahoman]
- First National Bank of Lindsay failure shocks customers, reopening as new bank Monday [Fox 25]
Community News
OKC National Memorial Museum begins statewide ‘Journey of Hope’ to note 30th anniversary: Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum’s new” Journey of Hope” initiative helps fulfill the memorial museum’s mission to remember “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” and it is a special way to mark the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing in 2025. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Oklahoma City catalogs where lead pipes are located in the city [KFOR]
- New center for foster care families opens in Logan County [KOCO]
- Waurika city manager charged with child sexual abuse offenses [Fox 25]
Quote of the Day
“The biggest stumbling block to all of our work in any state was how much information was available. It was hard to know what’s real. I actually think there is an important role for the state to play as an arbiter of information. They’re public funds. How is the money being spent? Who is it being spent on? These are important pieces of information to have just so lawmakers can look at this and see is this what we meant, what we wanted?”
-FutureEd Policy Director Liz Cohen, speaking about a new report on private school tax credits to voucher programs across the nation. Researchers found data for Oklahoma’s program so limited that the they ended up with far less prominence in their report. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
8.5 million
The number of U.S. citizens who are part of mixed-status families with undocumented immigrants. A mass deportation will lead to a decrease of $51,200 in annual household income for these families, or 62.7 percent of their total household income, on average. [American Immigration Council]
Policy Note
Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget and Economy: In recent months, leading politicians and policymakers have renewed calls for mass deportations of immigrants from the United States. While some plans have envisioned a one-time, massive operation designed to round up, detain, and deport the undocumented population en masse, others have envisioned starting from a baseline of one million deportations per year. Given that in the modern immigration enforcement era the United States has never deported more than half a million immigrants per year—and many of those have been migrants apprehended trying to enter the U.S., not just those already living here—any mass deportation proposal raises obvious questions: how, exactly, would the United States possibly carry out the largest law enforcement operation in world history? And at what cost? [American Immigration Council]
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