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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: Oklahoma can’t prosper while our neighbors struggle: As the end-of-year celebrations grow closer, this is a good time to remember that poverty isn’t a fringe issue in Oklahoma — it’s daily life for too many of our neighbors. The latest Census data show our state ranks as the eighth poorest in the nation. For our children, nearly 1 in 5 grows up in households at or below the poverty line. These numbers are stark, but they fail to show what this reality feels like. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
How Oklahoma’s state law tied up in the courts could impact immigration enforcement: As deadlines in the federal court case against the Oklahoma law criminalizing unlawful presence loom, attorneys fighting the state say stopping the law is vital to prevent a bad situation from getting worse, faster. [KOSU]
Amid Trump’s immigration crackdown, Tulsa’s refugees are living in fear: As reports rise of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detaining immigrants across Tulsa, the two remaining employees for YWCA Tulsa’s refugee health team say their clients are living in fear. [Tulsa Flyer]
State Government News
Stitt sues to block law that gives the legislative branch more appointment power: Gov. Kevin Stitt is asking an Oklahoma County District Court to halt enforcement of a law that expands the number of people who are appointed to the Commission for Rehabilitation Services. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma education board to consider future of three Ryan Walters-era lawsuits: The Oklahoma Board of Education will consider taking action in three high-profile lawsuits that stemmed from Ryan Walters’ time as state superintendent. [The Oklahoman]
Lawmakers continue to grapple with how to regulate Oklahoma’s wind industry: After legislation stalled last session, lawmakers expect a wide variety of legislation attempting to regulate the wind energy industry to be filed again. Oklahoma lawmakers said conversations and negotiations will continue during the interim as they grapple with how to regulate the continued growth of the wind industry and an increased demand for power production. [Oklahoma Voice]
‘You can’t drink data’: Oklahoma lawmakers analyze costs of growing data center industry: Lawmakers on Tuesday held an interim study at Oklahoma’s State Capitol to examine the growing impact of large-scale data centers on the state’s power grid and water resources. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Federal Government News
One stopgap after another: Shutdown puts Congress on the verge of failed spending process: On day 21 of the federal government shutdown, the political tensions and policy differences that contributed to it appeared likely to destroy any chance for the GOP-controlled Congress to find the bipartisanship needed to pass the dozen bills needed to fund the government. [Oklahoma Voice]
Republicans Will Need to Extend Their Funding Patch Deadline Soon, Cole Says: The temporary seven-week funding patch Republicans passed in October to help finish appropriations bills has quickly become a four-week patch. The House-passed continuing resolution, or CR, would fund the government until Nov. 21. At least five more Senate Democrats would need to vote for the bill, and soon, or lawmakers must restart the process. [Oklahoma Watch]
Shutdown likely to halt food benefits for 42 million in just days: More than 42 million low-income Americans are at risk of losing food assistance Nov. 1 if the government shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which operates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has about $6 billion in a multi-year contingency fund. That’s short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program. [Oklahoma Voice]
- SNAP funding delays to increase food insecurity. What are some backup resources? [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Head Start centers face ‘dire’ funding loss from government shutdown: A “catastrophic” loss of funding is little over a week away for Head Start centers serving 2,500 children across Oklahoma. If the nationwide government shutdown continues, four Head Start programs in Oklahoma will run out of federal funding on Nov. 1, threatening the closure of dozens of child care centers primarily serving low-income families in rural areas. [Oklahoma Voice]
Trump seeks to approve his own $230M payback from DOJ over past probes: President Donald Trump said late Tuesday he is personally owed a massive payment from the Department of Justice and would have the authority to approve it, saying he was “damaged very greatly” during the government’s investigations into his alleged hoarding of classified documents and Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. [Oklahoma Voice]
Report: Trump administration mulling transfer of special ed from Education Department: The U.S. Education Department is looking to move the $15 billion Individuals with Disabilities Education Act program outside of the agency, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
‘A boundless power’: Dem states ask Supreme Court to halt Trump troop deployment to Chicago: Every state with either a Democratic governor, attorney general or both signed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to side with Illinois and Chicago to continue blocking President Donald Trump’s proposed deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. [Oklahoma Voice]
ICE keeps detaining pregnant immigrants — against federal policy: A Biden-era policy restricts ICE from arresting or detaining immigrants who are pregnant, postpartum or nursing, except in extreme circumstances. While President Donald Trump has not formally rescinded the policy, it’s clear from lawsuits, news reports and advocates for immigrants who are detained that it’s not being followed. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Voting and Election News
Opinion: Gavel to Gavel: Open primaries for Oklahoma: State Question 836 seeks to replace Oklahoma’s closed, exclusionary primary system with an “open primary” system. Under SQ 836, all candidates for political office would appear on the same primary ballot, regardless of party affiliation, and ballots would include each candidate’s party of registration or independent status. All registered voters would be able to vote in the primary, regardless of party affiliation, and the top two candidates would advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. [Robert McCampbell / The Journal Record]
Education News
This is ground zero in the conservative quest for more patriotic and Christian public schools: Oklahoma has spent years reshaping public schools to integrate lessons about Jesus and encourage pride in America’s history. By the time the second Trump administration began espousing its “America First” agenda, Oklahoma had been there, done that. [The Frontier]
Why the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program will cost more than ever next year: The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education say the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program will cost a record $88.1 million next year. [The Oklahoman]
Health News
OU Outreach awarded $50M grant to lead national Suicide Prevention Resource Center: The University of Oklahoma‘s leadership in suicide prevention will continue for another five years after the Southwest Prevention Center (SWPC) at OU Outreach was awarded a $50 million federal grant to manage the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). [The Journal Record]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Operation SAFE returns to Tulsa for second round of sweeps: Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Operation SAFE launched a second round of homeless encampment sweeps in Tulsa over the weekend, putting service providers on edge once again. [Tulsa Flyer]
- ‘Safe to who?’: Service providers blast governor’s Operation SAFE homeless sweeps [Public Radio Tulsa]
- State homeless operation has made everyday efforts more challenging, Tulsa providers say [Tulsa World]
- ‘It’s not a quick fix’: Service providers discuss Operation SAFE at public panel [KJRH]
- From OK Policy: Bulldozers won’t solve homelessness (Commentary)
Economy & Business News
An immigrant’s death at an Oklahoma poultry plant highlights dangerous conditions for workers: Leovigildo Ramirez Castillo’s death shines a light on the hazardous conditions faced by the thousands of workers, many of them immigrants, who keep eastern Oklahoma’s poultry plants running at breakneck speed — jobs that are often low-wage and high-risk. [The Frontier]
In heart of Hispanic Tulsa, fear of ICE presence triggers slower sales, empty stores: Munoz is one of many local business owners in the area who are feeling the impacts of the Trump administration’s deportation campaign. There has been an increasing number of Immigration and Custom Enforcement sightings in recent months, leaving many in the community afraid to venture outside of their home. [Tulsa Flyer]
Community News
Oklahoma City Memorializes the 1958 Sit-In That Sparked a Movement: Sixty-seven years after a Black teacher and her group of Black students dared to challenge Jim Crow by sitting down at a Whites-Only lunch counter, Oklahoma City is finally honoring them. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Local Headlines
- Edmond voters will head to the polls for a sales tax election. Here’s what’s at stake [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma City leaders seek public input for road resurfacing and widening projects [KOCO]
- Public meeting scheduled as plans to reopen Vista Shadow Mountain Apartments proceed [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa City Council votes to extend downtown curfew through October 2026 [Tulsa Flyer]
Quote of the Day
“Operation SAFE is safe to who?”
– Evan Dougoud, of BeHeard, which operates a mobile help center, questioned how Operation SAFE is actually improving security. The initiative, led by Governor Kevin Stitt, aims to clear homeless encampments from state-owned properties. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- From OK Policy: Bulldozers won’t solve homelessness (Commentary)
Number of the Day
73%
The share of people denied release by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board in 2024. More than 7 in 10 individuals who came before the board were not granted parole, maintaining the general trend of parole release or recommendations in the state. [Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board 2024 Results Reports]
Policy Note
Parole in Perspective: How parole decisions are made: Parole grant rates vary dramatically across states, with many denying most applicants and holding fewer hearings over time — pointing to systemic barriers even as eligibility increases. In many jurisdictions, decisionmaking centers on vague standards and the original crime of conviction rather than forward-looking indicators of change or readiness for release. Most boards rely on discretion and risk assessment tools but frequently disregard their own guidelines, leading to opaque outcomes with limited accountability. Greater transparency, clearer criteria, and reforms like presumptive parole could restore parole’s promise as a fair path to release. [Prison Policy Initiative]
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