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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
We fact-checked claims about illegal immigration in Oklahoma: The Frontier used public records, information provided by state officials and other sources to fact-check recent claims about illegal immigration in Oklahoma. [The Frontier]
- Stitt throws Oklahoma’s support behind Trump immigration policy [KOSU]
State Government News
Speaker-elect, Oklahoma AG oppose transmission corridor: Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and House Speaker-elect Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said Thursday that they will do all they can to resist a proposed 645-mile electric transmission conduit through northern Oklahoma. [Tulsa World]
- Federal energy transmission planning project won’t move forward in Oklahoma [KOSU]
Rep. Amanda Swope joining Nichols administration as Tulsa’s tribal director, special election looms: Rep. Amanda Swope (D-Tulsa) will join the administration of new Mayor Monroe Nichols as Tulsa’s first director of tribal policy and partnerships, the city announced today. A citizen of the Muscogee Nation who is also of Osage descent, Swope will assume the position Jan. 29. Owing to prohibitions on dual officeholding, Swope will have to resign her state House seat. [NonDoc]
- Mayor Monroe Nichols names director of Office of Tribal Policy and Partnerships [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma Capitol arch groundbreaking planned: Officials on Dec. 19 are expected to break ground on an arch and amphitheater on the south side of the Oklahoma Capitol complex. Lawmakers set aside $4.3 million for the project, but private funds are also expected to be used. [Oklahoma Voice]
Drummond pushes back as attorneys general from around the country declare support for first religious public school: Gentner Drummond isn’t the only state attorney general interested in whether Oklahoma will open the country’s first publicly funded religious charter school. Oklahoma’s Supreme Court ruled in June that the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma’s application for St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School violates both state and U.S. constitutions. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Kansas officials estimate $300 million pricetag to link Oklahoma City to Amtrak cross-country line: The Kansas Department of Transportation estimates it will cost $311 million to restore Amtrak passenger rail service from Oklahoma City to Newton that was abandoned nearly half a century ago, officials said Wednesday. [KOSU]
During Asian trip, Stitt meets with Taiwanese president, signs memorandum of understanding: Gov. Kevin Stitt visited with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te this week to discuss potential areas of collaboration between the two entities in areas including energy, critical minerals, and aerospace, including unmanned aerial systems and drones. The visit was part of a multi-day Asian trip Stitt described as a “trade mission.” [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Todd Hiett ruling, Parole Board delays, turnpike toll increases and more: The panel discusses the State Supreme Court refusing to issue a prohibition against Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett, resignations at the Pardon and Parole Board cause delays in a clemency hearing for a death row inmate and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority increases tolls across the state effective January 1. [KOSU]
Federal Government News
Editorial: Those convicted in Jan. 6 insurrection need to face consequences. Not pardons: Many more Oklahomans traveled to Washington, D.C., but didn’t violently maraud through congressional offices and hallways. Those who did and participated in or enabled the attacks on police and journalists need to face the consequences for joining the mob. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Education News
ACLU attorneys: HB 1775 vague, unenforceable and harming Oklahoma teachers: Attorneys fighting the state law used against a former Norman school teacher say House Bill 1775 is so vague that it is unenforceable and is now causing harm to teachers across Oklahoma. [The Oklahoman]
Education Watch: State Superintendent Settles With TV Station in Press Freedom Case: Avoiding trial, the state superintendent and his director of communications on Wednesday struck a deal that permanently restores KFOR’s access to public meetings and interviews. [Oklahoma Watch]
Catoosa schools to consider calendar shift: Another suburban district may be adjusting its academic calendar for the 2025-26 school year. [Tulsa World]
Health News
Oklahoma Health Care Authority board hears managed Medicaid updates, agency legislative requests: The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) board heard updates on Oklahoma’s managed Medicaid program, SoonerSelect, and the agency’s 2025 legislative asks, and voted to revise a policy on payment and coverage for abortions to align with state law during its Wednesday meeting. [KGOU]
An OKC Doctor’s Perspective On Oklahoma Women’s Healthcare Crisis: Oklahoma ranks 47th in women’s health due to limited healthcare access, restrictive laws, and insufficient insurance coverage, with experts like Dr. Angela Hawkins advocating for systemic reforms to improve maternal care. [News 9]
Americans are furious over health care. Is this an Occupy Wall Street moment?: The fury over the state of U.S. health care echoes the last time that consumers broadly mobilized to protest against powerful corporations and their wealthy executives, in the Occupy Wall Street movement in late 2011 that swept the country after the financial crisis. [NPR via KGOU]
Opinion: State’s mental health crisis needs psychologists empowered to write prescriptions: Oklahoma faces significant challenges in addressing mental health needs, particularly in underserved areas. While access to psychotropic medications is widespread, the real gap lies in ensuring that these medications are part of a comprehensive, well-integrated treatment plan. [Joseph James / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Gender-affirming care is proven to help trans kids. This doctor explains why: Despite politicians’ claims, these laws are not put in place to protect children. If they were protecting children, they would listen to doctors, patients and their families who say this care is medically necessary. If they were protecting anyone with these laws, they would consider how the further stigmatization of transgender identities only harms people. These laws are about control and the demonization of people who are different. [Sara Pequeño / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Dolly Parton and Tennessee senators show why Trump must stop public health chaos: A public health infrastructure requires people in place who are experts in public health. At this time, the signs are not good that we are headed in the right direction. [David Plazas / The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
State Health Department inspectors given access to Oklahoma County Jail following legal battle: The Oklahoma State Health Department resumed unannounced inspections at the Oklahoma County jail following an order from a district judge dismissing a lawsuit challenging their authority. [Oklahoma Voice]
3rd clemency hearing set for Oklahoma child killer: The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has scheduled another clemency hearing for a child killer facing execution later this month, marking the third date the panel has had Kevin Ray Underwood on its agenda. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Clemency hearing for Oklahoma death row inmate Kevin Ray Underwood set for Friday [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board schedules Underwood clemency hearing in hope of court ruling [KGOU]
Budget patch will keep released defendants supervised and out of jail, officials say: Some 700 criminal defendants out of jail on supervised release will stay out, and remain under supervision, if the Oklahoma County Budget Board agrees with actions taken by other officials on Thursday. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Tulsa County DA: Word of caution on plan to move people not guilty by reason of insanity: Oklahomans must remember that in our mental health system, the state is legally responsible for criminal defendants who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity/mental illness. This population is often forgotten. [Steve Kunzweiler / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Thou shalt not pay attention to annual push for unconstitutional bill: Knowing that legislative proposals and policies are unconstitutional doesn’t stop Oklahoma lawmakers. They welcome lawsuits, thinking that if they can get to this U.S. Supreme Court, then America will finally turn into the Christian nation they dream about. While they tilt at windmills, Oklahoma public schools suffer under the weight of a crisis in workforce shortage and not enough classroom resources. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Editorial: Tulsa law enforcement needs to focus on catching criminals. Not mass deportations: The incoming Trump administration, with its threats of mass deportations, will put pressure from the federal government on local law enforcement to do that job. Tulsa shouldn’t take the bait. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
HUD Ends Section 8 at Duncan Apartments, Residents Told To Leave: About 40 tenants still living at a Durant artment complex recently received a letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, notifying them the agency has stripped federal funding to the complex’s management, terminating the complex’ Housing Assistance Payments contract and requiring all residents to move out. [Oklahoma Watch]
Housing Partnership Network unveils affordable housing initiative in Tulsa: In January, HPN and Tulsa stakeholders, led by a senior housing adviser, will begin planning the detailed implementation of the affordable housing initiative. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Economy & Business News
US grocery prices – and eggs in particular – climb heading into holiday season: A rise in food prices makes for a less than merry holiday season. Grocery prices rose 0.4% in November, according to the Consumer Price Index, released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Oklahoma Voice]
Quote of the Day
“It’s not just a huge win from a policy perspective, but I think about the lives changed as we begin to make sure that folks were reducing the cost burden for affordable housing, but also closing the wealth gap through housing.”
-Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, speaking about the Tulsa Housing Partnership Network’s efforts to increase affordable housing. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Number of the Day
74
All 74 smaller counties in Oklahoma—those with employment below 75,000—reported an average weekly wage below the national average of $1,390. Dewey County reported the highest average weekly wage, $1,253. McIntosh County ($694) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Policy Note
A Guide to Statistics on Historical Trends in Income Inequality: Data from a variety of sources contribute to a broad picture of strong growth and shared prosperity during the early postwar period, followed by slower growth and greater inequality since the 1970s. Within these broad trends, however, different data tell slightly different parts of the story, and no single data source is best for all purposes. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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