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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
Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden: Data about the depth of homelessness in rural areas is such a challenge that an accurate number doesn’t exist, according to frontline homeless outreach workers in rural Oklahoma. [Oklahoma Watch]
- Opinion: Homefulness for the holidays [Sarah Grounds / Tulsa World]
- From OK Policy: Homelessness in Oklahoma – Information and Resources
State plans to fund housing for OKC homeless, contrasting with Operation SAFE sweeps in Tulsa: The state is negotiating a contract to pay up to $800,000 for housing and services for some people after Gov. Kevin Stitt’s push to clear homeless encampments on state property in Oklahoma City. The pending deal between the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and the City of Oklahoma City would cover the costs of stabilization services, case management and housing for those displaced by Stitt’s Operation SAFE. [Tulsa Flyer]
Higher insurance premiums, reduced federal subsidies stoke fears among Oklahomans: Thousands of Oklahomans are facing sticker shock as they navigate the ACA re-enrollment process. Most are facing soaring costs due to a combination of higher premiums and the end of some federal tax credits that have helped make their health insurance affordable. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Most ACA marketplace users can’t afford potential increases, poll shows [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: What Oklahomans need to know about expiring ACA premium tax credits
State Government News
State agencies seek 14% boost in appropriations; higher ed, capital projects among biggest asks: State agencies are asking for a 14.2% increase in appropriations for the next fiscal year, with some attributable to expected reductions in federal funds, according to the Oklahoma House of Representatives’ Budget Transparency Portal. [Tulsa World]
- Capitol Insider: State agency budget requests seek $1.6 billion in new funding [KGOU]
Political notebook: State revenue report mixed: November’s revenue report by Treasurer Todd Russ was a little good, a little not-so-good, and mostly mixed. Total revenue to the treasury, which includes taxes collected on behalf of local governments and money later returned to taxpayers as refunds and rebates, was 4.1% higher than for the same month a year ago. That’s a little above the current inflation rate. [Tulsa World]
OSU returning $4.8M after state mental health hospital project failed: Regents who govern Oklahoma State University have approved a settlement allowing OSU to return lease money it was given from the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for a new mental hospital that never was built. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma’s AG joins lawsuit against State Farm over unpaid roof claims: In a long-running court fight over whether State Farm unfairly rejected storm damage claims, Attorney General Gentner Drummond has joined homeowners in Oklahoma suing the insurance giant. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma AG Drummond intervenes in State Farm case, alleges wrongdoing [The Journal Record]
Judge leaves attorney general on criminal case against Swadley’s Bar-B-Q owner: A judge has refused to kick Attorney General Gentner Drummond off the criminal case against the owner of Swadley’s Bar-B-Q for making public statements like “he’s going to serve prison time.” [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Sends National Guard Members to D.C.: More than 160 members of the Oklahoma National Guard deployed to Washington, D.C., last week, just months after Gov. Kevin Stitt indicated his reluctance to send guardsmen out of state. [Oklahoma Watch]
GOP lawmakers seek probe of hospital COVID protocols, state’s pandemic response: Oklahoma’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic may have resulted in “unnecessary suffering and loss” and should be investigated, 21 Republican state lawmakers contend in a letter sent this week to the state’s attorney general. [Tulsa World]
‘Phalanx of literacy coaches’: Experts, state leaders eye Oklahoma expansion: As state leaders explore reading reforms by opening the door to literacy-based retention, they are also examining the expansion of statewide literacy coaches as a piece of the puzzle. [NonDoc]
Opinion: Oklahoma lawmakers file thousands of 2025 bills, but few will advance: Oklahoma lawmakers have already filed more than 2,600 bills for the 2025 legislative session, the first wave ahead of Friday’s initial deadline. Capitol leaders expect the total number of filings to grow to between 4,500 and 5,000 before the Legislature convenes in February. Much of that early flood, lawmakers say, is part of a routine process, and only a small fraction of those proposals will ever move forward. [News 9]
Opinion: Oklahoma business leaders comparing public schools to college football need some coaching themselves: Oklahoma’s State Chamber needs to step aside and stop meddling in something they clearly know nothing about: education. It’s clear from both public and media appearances that this influential business advocacy body is completely out of its depth in solving the education crisis which has long plagued Oklahoma. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Trump order ending birthright citizenship to be argued at US Supreme Court: The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday justices will hear a case to decide if President Donald Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship is constitutional. [Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Education Dept. asks hundreds of fired employees to temporarily return: Facing a backlog of school discrimination cases, the U.S. Department of Education has asked hundreds of employees it fired months ago to temporarily return to work. [USA Today via The Oklahoman]
Judge blocks Planned Parenthood ‘defund’ provision for 22 states and DC: A federal judge has once again blocked a controversial provision barring federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and other nonprofit reproductive health providers. But this time, she’s ruling in a different case with a different set of arguments. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
State takes swing at McGirt again in tribal citizen’s tax fight: 5 things to know: The state of Oklahoma is pushing back against a Muscogee Nation citizen’s legal fight to be considered exempt from state income tax under the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark McGirt v. Oklahoma decision. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
Oklahoma’s campaign finance site has been offline for months. Why?: Oklahoma’s campaign finance website has been offline for nearly three months, raising questions about access to public information ahead of a critical election year. [The Oklahoman]
Special election set for Oklahoma City House seat: Some Oklahomans in central and downtown Oklahoma City could have two races for the same state House seat on their ballot next year. Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday set special election dates to fill a vacant seat in House District 92, which was previously represented by Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
4-day school weeks are growing in popularity, despite a lack of data on the effects: ‘In Oklahoma, when the state tried to take it away, districts simply shifted to ‘virtual Fridays’ — and instruction mostly didn’t happen,’ one researcher said. [Oklahoma Voice]
Little known state law leaves millions on the table for Oklahoma schools: Oklahoma is the only state in the country that allows taxpayers to earmark part of their state income taxes for public and private schools — but some say schools are missing out on tens of millions of dollars because few people know it’s an option. [Tulsa Flyer]
University of Oklahoma students march in support of suspended instructor: University of Oklahoma students gathered to protest a teaching assistant’s suspension on Friday afternoon in Norman. The instructor was placed on leave by the university in November. She had given a failing grade to an OU student in an incident that’s sparking debate in Oklahoma and beyond about free speech and the place of religion in the classroom. [KOSU]
- Protesters show support for graduate instructor on leave after student claims discrimination for Bible-based essay [OU Daily]
- Hundreds rally to reinstate OU teacher who graded Samantha Fulnecky’s essay [The Oklahoman]
- Second graduate instructor removed after excusing student absences for attending protest for graduate instructor placed on leave [OU Daily]
- OU places another lecturer on leave after complaint over Samantha Fulnecky protest [The Oklahoman]
- OU professor, jailed by ICE, remains free but fears retaliation, friend says [The Oklahoman]
- OU grad students seek apology, protection for instructor in essay debate [The Oklahoman]
Eastern Oklahoma State is 5th state school to get MacKenzie Scott gift: Eastern Oklahoma State College has become the fifth state higher-education institution to receive a major gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. [The Oklahoman]
Health News
CDC vaccine committee overturns decades-old hepatitis B recommendation for newborns: A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee voted to eliminate a recommendation that all newborn babies receive a vaccine against hepatitis B, ending a policy that has been in place since 1991 to protect Americans against an incurable liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis, cancer and liver failure. [Oklahoma Voice]
Criminal Justice News
Sources: Chamber behind survey measuring support for Oklahoma County jail tax: Multiple sources tell News 4 the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber sent a text survey this week asking Oklahoma County voters about potential new taxes to cover increased construction costs for the planned county jail, drawing criticism from a Del City lawmaker who says the plan would benefit a small group of developers while asking nearby residents to pay more. [KFOR]
- Proposed sales tax could prevent property tax spike for new Oklahoma County jail [News 9]
Judge denies Oklahoma Survivors’ Act resentencing, extending ongoing trend: A Tulsa County judge on Thursday denied a resentencing request for a domestic violence survivor who argued her long prison term should be reduced under the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act. [Public Radio Tulsa]
OK County picks Tulsa nonprofit to run jail Behavioral Care Center: A Tulsa nonprofit with mental health clinics all over eastern Oklahoma will guide completion of the Behavioral Care Center at the new Oklahoma County jail site, and then operate it. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Oklahomans trying to understand new SNAP requirements: Thousands of Oklahomans are now scrambling to understand the new work requirements for SNAP. In order to get money to buy groceries, many adults must now either work, volunteer, or attend a job training for 80 hours a month. The new rules are worrisome for the organizations trying to help SNAP recipients follow the new guidelines. [KFOR]
- For OK Policy: “Work requirements” won’t work for Oklahoma
New Tulsa group focuses on food insecurity and how to solve it: A newly established Tulsa community group is honing in on food insecurity issues. The Forum for Real Economic Emancipation (FREE) studies how local problems impact global systems and imagines how they could work differently. [Tulsa Flyer]
- Event focusing on economics of food, hunger set for Friday [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Tyson says no new Oklahoma poultry contracts unless state eases up on pollution lawsuit: Tyson Foods officials say the company cannot offer new contracts to growers in the Illinois River Watershed unless the State of Oklahoma makes more amicable demands for a solution. Farm groups are urging for reasonable settlement. [KOSU]
- Opinion: The poultry litter dilemma, and Tyson’s role moving forward [Brian Thompson / Tulsa World]
Oklahoma’s first business incubator catering to immigrant entrepreneurs was set to open this year. What happened?: Plaza Santa Cecilia, a Hispanic market at 21st and Garnett, is home to businesses and restaurants representing Latin America. And eventually, it will be the location of Oklahoma’s first business incubator that caters to immigrant entrepreneurs. The Eastside Business Center was announced in February 2024 but has yet to break ground — despite original planning for a December 2024 opening. [Tulsa Flyer]
What in the TIF? This is how Tulsa uses taxes to fund development projects: TIF is short for tax increment financing. Cities and counties use TIF districts to fund infrastructure improvements near large-scale development projects — and sometimes the projects themselves — by borrowing from future increases in tax revenue. [Tulsa Flyer]
Opinion: Oklahoma is helping lead the way in biotechnology: The promise of biotech starts with what it actually does: using biology to make useful things across industries. And it’s not just happening in coastal tech hubs. It’s already taking root in places like Oklahoma, where innovation is already helping power the local economy and train the next generation of workers. [Rodd Moesel / The Oklahoman]
Community News
Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail continues to spotlight towns, landmarks: Oklahoma’s history is shaped by the stories of many Black and Indigenous people who laid the foundation for some of the largest movements in American history. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Tulsa’s future tied to young professionals: Twenty years ago, a group of young professionals in Tulsa believed something simple but powerful; a city’s future isn’t built by accident. It’s built by people who intentionally lead. People who create a vision, build alignment and champion execution. [Jonathan Long / Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- Okmulgee site added to National Register of Historic Places [KOSU]
- Downtown Stillwater feels impact of small business crunch amid high costs, slow sales [KOSU]
- Oklahoma City Council approves amended land agreement with Yukon [The Oklahoman]
- OKC pilot program for free streetcar fares approved; could buses be next? [The Oklahoman]
- Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee opens patient tower after three-year expansion [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“Too many people don’t think there are homeless people here. I’ve practically taken them to where homeless people live. We’ve turned a blind eye to our homeless in rural places. I’m not sure how many there are, but it’s too many. We do not have shelters to get a count. It’s hard to convince people about homeless issues when they can’t see it.”
-Atoka City Councilor Erica Pogue, who is also the director of the Inca Community Action Agency, saying it’s difficult to advocate for public resources for homelessness without facts to show the problem. [Oklahoma Watch]
Number of the Day
5.6%
According to HUD’s American Housing Survey (AHS), 5.6%, of homes in rural areas (over 1.4 million) are classified as “inadequate,” and an estimated 368,000 of these homes are “severely inadequate,” lacking in basic plumbing, heating, or electric/wiring, or in need of severe upkeep. [HUD via the National Low Income Housing Coalition]
Policy Note
Homelessness Continues to Increase in the U.S. and in Rural America: Several factors likely contributed to the increasing levels of homelessness in rural areas. Growing inflation rates combined with stagnant lower- and middle-income wages worsened economic hardship for vulnerable populations. Meanwhile, the national housing crisis further decreased access to affordable homes. [Housing Assistance Council]
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