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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
Supreme Court hears arguments on SB 1027’s county signature caps for initiative petitions: The Oklahoma Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case about the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1027, which the Legislature passed to limit the number of signatures organizers can collect from the any given county. While an attorney for the state argued the law would protect the voices of rural Oklahomans, challengers said it disenfranchises urban residents. [NonDoc]
- Court hears challenge to new Oklahoma initiative petition law [Oklahoma Voice]
- State Supreme Court justices hear arguments in challenge of initiative petition law [KFOR]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Initiative Petition Bill [Oklahoma Watch]
- Skepticism, concern for rural voters at OK Supreme Court hearing on initiative petitions [The Oklahoman]
- Is Oklahoma’s new law on initiative petitions unconstitutional? [KOCO]
- State Supreme Court justices hear arguments in challenge of initiative petition law [KFOR]
- Opinion: If Oklahomans lose initiative power, it’ll be tough to get it back. Court fight is key [Amber England / The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: SB 1027 would exclude millions of registered voters from signing initiative petitions
- From OK Policy: The Future of Democracy Rests in the Oklahoma Supreme Court (SB 1027)
Emergency food assistance money for Oklahoma food banks will feed thousands despite coming to end: Oklahoma funds to support food banks will stop now that the federal government shutdown is over. Still, one food bank expects to use the money that arrived to distribute thousands of meal boxes to eligible individuals in the coming weeks. [KOSU]
Long Story Short: Former Lawyer’s Aggressive Tactics Target Oklahoma School District Amid Assault Claims (podcast): Elizabeth Caldwell discusses allegations at a Coweta middle school and one man’s vigilante-style approach to bring attention to the problem. Jake Ramsey covered the eviction of Barbara Grimm, which highlighted the lack of representation tenants have in eviction court. Jennifer Palmer talks about State Superintendent Lindel Fields’ suggestion that Oklahoma consider lengthening its school year. [Oklahoma Watch]
State Government News
In ‘do-over’ meetings, boards hike legislator pay, revise statewide official bumps: A pair of revamped public bodies tasked with setting Oklahoma politician pay deployed a new tactic — executive session — to keep conversations private and productive before voting to rescind prior actions, increase future legislators’ pay and bump future statewide official pay, with a specific caveat. [NonDoc]
- Panel revotes on raises for Oklahoma statewide officials [Oklahoma Voice]
- Board reverses vote, doles out legislative pay hikes [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma lawmakers, elected officials will get pay bumps. Here’s how much [The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Trump administration unveils plan to try to dismantle Department of Education: President Donald Trump’s administration took major steps Tuesday in trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, announcing six interagency agreements signed with other departments that will transfer several of its responsibilities to those agencies. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Education Department braces for further dismantling [USA TODAY via The Oklahoman]
US Senate agrees with overwhelming House vote to force release of Epstein files: A bill is heading to President Donald Trump’s desk compelling the release of unclassified investigative files from the case against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a friend to the rich and powerful who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 awaiting federal trial on sex trafficking charges. [Oklahoma Voice]
Judge cites ‘profound investigative missteps’ in court case against James Comey: Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey has been granted access to all grand jury materials in his case after a federal judge found “profound investigative missteps” that could result in the dismissal of Comey’s indictment. [Oklahoma Voice]
Members of Democratic caucus press ICE for answers on detainment of pregnant women: More than 60 members of the congressional Democratic Women’s Caucus Tuesday sent a letter to the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raising “extreme concerns” about the treatment of pregnant immigrants in detention. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Cherokee Nation fulfills $15 minimum wage commitment, leads in pay equity: The Cherokee Nation released its 2025 Annual Compensation Report on Tuesday, confirming completion of a multi-year initiative to raise the minimum wage for all hourly tribal government employees to $15 per hour. [The Journal Record]
Oklahoma lawmaker pushes back against removal of MMIP resources from federal websites: The Trump administration further claims that the Office of Missing & Murdered Indigenous People constitutes a “DEI initiative,” implying it is unnecessary and nonessential. Representative Ronald Stewart says MMIP is not a DEI initiative. [KSWO]
Voting and Election News
El Reno re-elects mayor, Choctaw voters approve term limits and more: Oklahoma voters in 26 counties went to the polls on Tuesday and cast their ballots on a variety of local measures. They considered the fate of elected officials, local taxes and more. Below are some of the notable results. [KOSU]
- Edmond sales tax renewals approved, Precinct 351 poll workers talk process [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma November election results [KFOR]
Education News
What does Oklahoma education look like without Ryan Walters? Here’s what leaders say needs to change: On a hot Sunday afternoon in October, a couple of weeks after Ryan Walters resigned as state schools superintendent, about 100 people gathered outside the Oklahoma Capitol to celebrate — and to look forward to the future of public education in the state. [The Oklahoman]
Meet one of the CareerTech superintendents redesigning our schools: For many years and through World War II, high school students in the United States were routinely taught vocational skills — carpentry, auto mechanics, cooking and sewing, among others. But in the 1950s an educational philosophy became popular that students should follow separate educational tracks according to their inclination and ability. [The Oklahoman]
Weidner funds new business and real estate center at OSU with $10M donation: Oklahoma State University has received a $10 million gift from Dean Weidner, founder and chairman of Weidner Apartment Homes, to expand real estate education within the Spears School of Business. [The Journal Record]
Health News
Oklahoma celebrates progress in maternal health rankings: Oklahoma health professionals gathered at the annual Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative Summit on Tuesday to celebrate a new ranking in women’s health, highlighting the state’s progress in improving maternal health. [KOCO]
Criminal Justice News
Oklahoma mother seeks resentencing under Survivors’ Act after killing boyfriend: The Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice recently filed an application for sentencing relief on behalf of Keabreauna “Keke” Boyd, a domestic violence survivor serving a life sentence (with all but the first 20 years suspended) following a 2021 second-degree murder conviction. [KFOR]
Economy & Business News
Can Oklahoma support energy-gobbling data centers?: Developers are eyeing several Oklahoma communities as sites for huge, hyperscale data centers. These massive facilities can bring an influx of cash to local schools and governments, but they also demand resources. [KOSU]
Tariffs, expiring tax credits complicate construction cost estimates: Since President Donald Trump took office again in January, costs for imported steel, lumber and more have fluctuated wildly as tariffs have been implemented, raised or reduced over the past year. This uncertainty has made project planning more challenging for professionals in architecture and construction. [The Journal Record]
Community News
Oklahomans react to damage at Clara Luper plaza: ‘The work she led is clearly not finished’: A statue depicting one of Oklahoma City’s key moments in civil rights history was recently vandalized, which sparked outrage in the community and online. [The Oklahoman]
Surprising finds during Race Massacre graves search tell story of Tulsa’s early years: Fifteen thousand. That’s how many bits and pieces of pre-1915 Tulsa have been uncovered, catalogued, in many cases photographed, and in some cases archived since the search for unmarked graves from the city’s 1921 Race Massacre began in 2020. [Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- With new AI lab, Tulsa poised to be leader in training for businesses [Tulsa World]
- Mayor forms new coalition to improve Tulsans’ health outcomes [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Debate continues over Tulsa County’s transparency strategy [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Tulsa Public Schools unveils draft of nearly $600M bond proposal for 2026 [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Is OKC headed in the right direction? Here’s what residents said in latest survey [The Oklahoman]
- OKC Council approves TIF for final conversion of Villa Teresa [The Journal Record]
Quote of the Day
“Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, rural or urban, this fight is yours. Because once the people’s power is gone, it’ll be nearly impossible to get back.”
– Amber England, who has spent the last decade working to put state questions before Oklahoma voters, framing the fight over the new initiative petition law as a question of power rather than partisanship. Senate Bill 1027, the law under review, caps the share of signatures that can come from any single county — a restriction that unfairly limits who gets to participate in the initiative petition process. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
2.26 million
The number of registered Oklahoma voters who would be barred from signing a statutory initiative petition under Senate Bill 1027’s county-by-county signature caps. The bill would block 94.5% of voters from participating in the statutory petition process, and its similar limits on constitutional amendments would prevent 2.15 million voters from signing those petitions as well. [Oklahoma Policy Institute]
Policy Note
Direct Democracy and Ballot Measures: Direct democracy gives citizens a way to enact laws when legislatures fail to reflect public preferences, and research shows it often results in policies closer to what voters want. Voters generally make sound decisions using cues and endorsements, and there’s little evidence that ballot measures systematically harm minority rights or empower wealthy interests more than legislatures already do. Yet many states are advancing restrictive “Trojan horse” reforms — like higher signature thresholds and geographic distribution rules — that make initiatives harder to qualify. Protecting and expanding direct democracy can help keep government responsive and restore trust in political institutions. [The University of Chicago Center for Effective Government]
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