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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 needs to make housing affordability a top economic priority: Oklahoma voters said no to State Question 847, but the need for housing relief remains urgent. Rising costs are squeezing families, challenging businesses, and putting entire communities at risk. Lawmakers have an opportunity in 2027 to deliver real solutions. [Shiloh Kantz / The Oklahoman]
Statement: Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down SB 1027 that would have excluded millions from initiative petition process: In 2025, the Oklahoma Legislature passed Senate Bill 1027, which put new limits on the initiative petition process. This new law would have made it harder for regular Oklahomans to bring issues directly to voters through state questions. On Nov. 10, 2026, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that “S.B. 1027 is unconstitutional and void in its entirety and lacks legal enforceability.” [OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
‘Prior restraints and compelled speech burdens’: Supreme Court strikes SB 1027 on initiative petitions: In a 5-4 decision, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled today that SB 1027 imposed unconstitutional restrictions on the initiative petition process, including county participation caps that the majority of justices said “pose broad First Amendment problems.” [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down restrictions on citizen initiative petitions [KOSU]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court overturns law that restricted citizen petitions [The Oklahoman]
- High court axes Oklahoma Legislature’s efforts to overhaul initiative petition process [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down initiative petition law [The Journal Record]
OK Supreme Court sides 5-4 with HOA, rules short-term rental constitutes ‘business’ activity: More than a year after a northwest Oklahoma City homeowners association petitioned the Oklahoma Supreme Court to overturn an appellate decision saying one of its residents had the right to operate a short-term rental, a narrow majority of the high court released a 63-page majority opinion Tuesday that sided with SilverHawk HOA and declared the practice constitutes “business” activity. [NonDoc]
Drummond seeks ownership details on $4B Inola smelter: Attorney General Gentner Drummond wants the companies behind a proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter in Inola to disclose who owns them, who funds them and whether Jared Kushner stands to benefit from the project. [The Journal Record]
- State Attorney General Gentner Drummond seeks ownership disclosures from Inola smelter companies [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Cherokee Nation issues resolution to oppose Inola smelter [KOSU]
State Government News
Oklahoma lawmakers to be sworn in next week: Newly elected Oklahoma state lawmakers will be sworn into office next week. Senators will be sworn into office at 2 p.m. Monday while House members will take the oath of office at 10 a.m. Tuesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Senate Republicans choose Paxton to remain as caucus leader: The Republican leader of the Oklahoma Senate is poised to stay in his role for another two years. Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, ran unopposed to be the GOP supermajority’s nominee for the top post. [Oklahoma Voice]
What’s next for Oklahoma lawmaker facing ethics investigation after re-election?: State Rep. Danny Williams won re-election despite ongoing allegations including misuse of office, misuse of authority and conflicts of interest. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission will meet at the state Capitol Thursday to hear an update on the investigation into the lawmaker. [KOCO]
- Oklahoma Ethics Commission to discuss Rep. Danny Williams investigation [Fox 25]
These Oklahoma hunting, fishing rules could change in 2027. Here’s how: New hunting and fishing rules could go into effect next year that would add flexibility to crappie limits and add a waiting period for some deer hunter licenses. [The Oklahoman]
Her earrings went viral. Oklahoma Rep. McCane explains the deeper meaning: Oklahoma State Rep. Michelle McCane isn’t new to starting conversations. The District 72 rep burst onto the scene in 2024 when she won her election and became the first woman and openly LGBTQ+ person elected to represent that district. [The Oklahoman]
Long Story Short: A Police Chief Vacuum, Midterm Signals and Missing Disclosures (podcast): Raynee Howell travels to Beggs, Oklahoma, to investigate how rapid police chief turnover left the town operating with a single officer. Keaton Ross breaks down recent midterm election results and what they signal for Oklahoma’s political landscape. Plus, Brenna Witchey reports on missing federal judge financial disclosures as the posting deadline approaches. [Oklahoma Watch]
Federal Government News
Hern to take oath Nov. 30 to become Oklahoma’s next US senator: Republican Kevin Hern will be sworn in Nov. 30 as the state’s next U.S. senator. Hern’s swearing in will cut short the term of U.S. Sen. Alan Armstrong who had been tapped by Gov. Kevin Stitt earlier this year to temporarily fill the Senate seat. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma’s Kevin Hern to be sworn into the U.S. Senate early [The Oklahoman]
- Kevin Hern to become Oklahoma’s next senator Nov. 30 [Public Radio Tulsa]
This Oklahoma Senator Stands to Profit From the Permitting Bill He’s Pushing: Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma entered the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy in March with a clear priority: pass permitting reform that he argued was necessary based on his experience leading a major natural gas pipeline company. Now, as he prepares to leave office, that goal is within reach—with big potential benefits for the company and him personally. [Mother Jones]
Trump’s judge nominee in Oklahoma faces setback as home-state senator balks: Republican US Senator Alan Armstrong, in his final weeks in office, has reversed course on supporting one of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees in his home state of Oklahoma, clouding the nominee’s path to Senate confirmation during the lame-duck session. [Reuters]
Sen. James Lankford retains GOP leadership position: Senate Republicans, searching for answers following last week’s decisive midterm election loss, reelected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as their leader by acclamation to lead them in the minority in the next Congress. The rest of the leadership team remains largely the same, with Oklahoma Senator James Lankford (R-OK) reelected as conference vice chair, the number 5 position within the conference. [News 9]
Tribal Nations News
Choctaw Nation program creates community for female veterans: Native Americans in the United States have some of the highest suicide rates in the country, and rates are also especially high for veterans. One Choctaw Nation program is working to bring those numbers down through community. [KOSU]
Are millions of dollars in Oklahoma education derived from tribal casino revenue?: Yes. Oklahoma tribal nation education expenditure is in the hundreds of millions annually from both exclusivity fees and direct expenditures. [Oklahoma Watch]
Quapaw Nation herd manager charged with animal cruelty after 32 bison die: Brady Kropp was charged with 63 counts of animal cruelty in the tribal court on Oct. 28. That includes one charge for each bison who died or required veterinary care, as first reported by Miami News-Record. [KOSU]
Indigenous food sovereignty group finds right fit with move to University of Tulsa: In 2012, Stacy Leeds, a Cherokee Nation citizen, was coming off a class-action settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on its loan practices to Native American people and tribes. In that work, she — along with attorney Janie Simms Hipp of the Chickasaw Nation — saw a need for food and agricultural experts in Indian Country. [Tulsa Flyer]
Voting and Election News
Cleveland County clerk audits 11 years of felony lists after illegal voting case: Sara Polston is accused of illegally voting in two elections while serving a felony sentence, a violation of Oklahoma law. Under Oklahoma’s process for removing ineligible voters, county court clerks must send monthly reports to county election boards listing people convicted of felonies. [Fox 25]
Opinion: Anti-Muslim ads shaped Oklahoma election. Imam responds: Anti-Muslim rhetoric became a key element in the election campaigns of many Republican candidates in the 2026 election. No distinction was made between Muslims in community congregations like Enchassi’s and those in terrorist organizations like ISIS, al-Qaida and the Taliban. [William C. Wertz / The Oklahoman]
Education News
Early Childhood Suspensions Are High in Oklahoma; Rolling Back Proposed Federal Standards Could Cause An Increase: If the Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs proposal is finalized, several Head Start standards will be rolled back, leaving regulations for staff-to-child ratios, suspensions, practices involving children with disabilities and more up to individual states. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma receives ‘Returning Education to the States’ waiver to consolidate federal funds: Following its goal of “returning education to the states,” the U.S. Department of Education has granted Oklahoma permission to combine $3.5 million from four different federal programs meant to support K-12 teacher training, English learners and academic enrichment. [Oklahoma Voice]
What Robert Franklin thinks is missing from Oklahoma school report cards: Oklahoma’s public schools are stuck in a holding pattern, Superintendent-elect Robert Franklin says, and the state’s latest report card grades reflect it. [The Oklahoman]
Education Watch: OSU’s Written Blueprint to Merge With Tulsa Community College: Should Oklahoma State University merge with Tulsa Community College? OSU’s president, Jim Hess, thinks so. He was circulating a detailed plan for the merger for months before making a surprise public pronouncement in September. [Oklahoma Watch]
Health News
Experts call for treatment for Oklahomans with serious mental illness, celebrate other successes: People with serious mental illness need a level of care that Oklahoma doesn’t adequately provide, creating an overreliance on the state’s jails, prisons and emergency departments, experts said at a “State of Mental Health” event hosted by Healthy Minds Policy Initiative on Tuesday. [KOSU]
- Legislative priorities could focus on mental health diversion, Oklahoma lawmaker says [Oklahoma Voice]
Justice System News
Judges find unlawful detainments at Oklahoma correctional facility: Within the last month or so, around a half dozen immigrants were said to have been unlawfully detained behind the bars of Watonga’s Diamondback Detention Facility. [KFOR]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma shouldn’t allow private prisons to reopen as immigration detention centers. Here are 6 reasons why.
Oklahoma Death Row inmate James Pavatt scheduled to be executed Thursday: James Pavatt is scheduled to be executed at 10 a.m. Thursday for the 2001 killing of Rob Andrew in Oklahoma City. Prosecutors say Pavatt and Andrew’s wife, Brenda, planned the murder to collect an $800,000 life insurance policy. [News 9]
- Death row inmate James Pavatt set to be executed for high-profile 2001 Oklahoma City murder [KOCO]
- Veterans groups protest as Oklahoma set to execute death row inmate James Pavatt Thursday [Fox 25]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics secures state’s first forced labor trafficking conviction: Last week, a man was convicted of forced labor trafficking in Oklahoma City. It was the first conviction of its kind in the state’s history. [KGOU]
Del City leader: Sell Oklahoma County jail land, renovate old facility: With the proposed jail sales tax defeated, Oklahoma County should scrap its plans and sell the land and nearly complete Behavioral Care Center at 1901 E. Grand Blvd., Del City Council member Scott Tatom said. [The Oklahoman]
OKC nurse admits using AI to hide identity while mailing 700 powder letters: An Oklahoma City nurse admitted after his arrest that he mailed more than 700 letters containing white powder nationwide in hopes of increasing security at the polls, a postal inspector testified at his detention hearing. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma man accused of sending threats to election officials released with conditions [Oklahoma Voice]
A decade after Khalid Jabara’s death, Tulsa family’s story featured in hate crime documentary: In the decade since 37-year-old Khalid Jabara was killed, his family has carried on his legacy through a foundation and a 2021 federal anti-hate crime law bearing his name. Now they are telling their story in “American Hate – Survivors Speak,” a new documentary following the lingering aftermath of hate crimes on their victims, loved ones and communities. [Tulsa Flyer]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Oklahoma City launches 10-year plan to build, repair 45,000 homes: Anticipating Oklahoma City’s population to surge to more than one million by 2055, Oklahoma City leaders launched a 10-year housing strategy Tuesday to build and repair tens of thousands of homes. [The Journal Record]
- Amidst affordability crisis, OKC plans $130 million housing strategy [KOSU]
Tulsa’s apartment rental market more competitive than most, national report finds: According to a recent analysis of “rental competitiveness” in cities across the country, Tulsa has an apartment occupancy rate of 94.4%, and when leases come due for renewal occupants can be expected to remain in place about 64.6% of the time. [Tulsa World]
- Renters pay less, get more space in Tulsa than they would in other cities [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Central Oklahoma cities extend pause on data center development: As Oklahoma cities and counties work to catch regulation up to the fast-growing data center industry, many have enacted temporary bans on the facilities. In mid-November, Oklahoma City Council voted to extend data center moratoriums through the end of next year. Edmond City Council will continue its pause until the end of next June. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
- OKC extends data center moratorium through 2027 in unanimous vote [The Oklahoman]
- Edmond Council fires city attorney, extends data center moratorium [NonDoc]
- Edmond extends data center freeze, gives massage parlors a break [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma officials hope Texas blue wave could spur growth for aerospace industry: In formerly red states, incoming Democrats have promised tighter regulations and fewer incentives for aerospace and tech developers; for Oklahoma, it’s an opportunity. [KOSU]
Gas prices are falling nationwide, but don’t credit the election: Refineries ramping up output, along with more oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz, is the main reason why gas prices fell below $4 nationally. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Elections change politics overnight but not Oklahoma agriculture: While Oklahoma’s political landscape may look much the same, I wonder whether something less visible is beginning to shift. Not necessarily party affiliation, but the willingness of farmers and ranchers to question whether traditional party loyalties still reflect their values and serve their interests. [Jean M. Lam-Thompson / The Oklahoman]
Community News
As Route 66 turns 100, Oklahoma looks to balance the Mother Road’s past with its future: On November 11, 2026, the Mother Road celebrated its 100th birthday. With more drivable miles of Route 66 than any other state, Oklahoma has been investing in the road and the businesses along it. [KOSU]
- Tulsa celebrates 100th birthday of Route 66, Veterans Day with citywide events [Public Radio Tulsa]
Local Headlines
- IRS Records Show Huge Disparities for Coweta Charity [Oklahoma Watch]
- Muskogee seeks loan to pay off nearly $30 million judgment to settle lawsuits [Tulsa World]
- Mayor Nichols delivers second State of the City address [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Mayor calls on Tulsans to bridge divides and create ‘next great renaissance’ in State of the City [KOSU]
- Tulsa County announces plans to provide detention services for the City of Tulsa [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Edmond fires City Attorney Sawyer with no explanation in 3-2 vote [The Oklahoman]
- Norman City Council postpones vote on proposed Dollar General plat, discusses pet sales restrictions [OU Daily]
- OKC Animal Welfare preps for move to new facility, offers discounted pet adoptions [KOSU]
Quote of the Day
“The Department of Corrections pulled a fast one and decided to enter into a contract between ICE and CoreCivic so that they could get a piece of the pie and oversee it. But there is literally no oversight. I honestly would be surprised if any state official stepped foot in that place. Since it’s opened, it’s all about getting that money for them or seems to be. Yeah. And there’s a lot of money coming. A lot of money coming in.”
— Elisa Standridge of Organizing Okies calling on Oklahoma lawmakers to require oversight of Watonga’s Diamondback Detention Facility, which is owned by private prison operator CoreCivic. Detainees have filed dozens of lawsuits naming the facility, most of them petitions asking courts to determine whether their detention is lawful. In at least six cases, judges have ordered a bond hearing or the person’s release. [KFOR]
Number of the Day
60%
CoreCivic reported that the detainee population at Watonga’s 2,000-bed Diamondback Detention Facility has grown by around 60% in the last year. Company-wide, CoreCivic’s revenue rose 28.2% from the same quarter a year earlier, to about $744 million for the three months ending Sept. 30. Executives told investors that populations at recently activated facilities are rising, driven by significant ICE demand. [KFOR] | [News Release: CoreCivic Reports Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results]
Policy Note
Following the Money of Mass Incarceration 2026: Public funding for the criminal legal system has increased in recent years, even as the number of people involved in the system has declined, reflecting changes in priorities as well as economic factors like inflation. The largest total increase has been funding for policing, but the most rapid funding increase came in 2025 for ICE, Border Patrol and other agencies involved in the criminalization of immigration and immigration detention. [Prison Policy Initiative]
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