OKPOLICY.ORG
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
Why raising the minimum wage is a win for Oklahoma’s youth: When people talk about raising the minimum wage, the focus is usually on adults trying to support households. But higher wages don’t just matter for older workers — they matter for youth. Whether we’re talking about young adults navigating their first jobs or kids whose parents and caregivers are struggling on low wages, the minimum wage directly shapes youth outcomes across an entire generation. [Jill Mencke / OK Policy]
- From OK Policy: What you need to know about the minimum wage in Oklahoma
State Government News
Oklahoma child care group sues DHS over cuts to subsidies for school-age children: Providers say they won’t survive cuts made by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) to child care subsidies for school-age children. Oklahoma’s largest trade association for the child care industry is suing the department to stop it from enforcing the directive it made during the federal government shutdown. [StateImpact via KGOU]
Hiett calls company comments ‘absurd,’ but multiple OG&E projects moving forward despite concerns: Despite a pair of consumer organizations claiming a slate of Oklahoma Gas & Electric projects lack consumer protections and will “unreasonably” raise residential rates, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission denied a motion Dec. 11 to reconsider its final order advancing the plans. [NonDoc]
Oklahoma lawmakers defend ‘behind-the-meter’ law amid AI data center concerns: State lawmakers and the governor say a law passed last year is designed to prevent large data centers and artificial intelligence facilities from driving up electricity costs for Oklahoma consumers, even as concerns grow about strain on the power grid. [News 9]
- Data centers are playing a key role in regional development [Tulsa World]
- Coweta residents share data center concerns with state lawmakers, but city leaders and developers skip meeting [Tulsa Flyer]
Drummond withdraws from ClassWallet lawsuit, taking a shot at Stitt: Attorney General Gentner Drummond has withdrawn from a lawsuit over the misspending of about $1.7 million in federal education funds from a COVID-19 stimulus program, but not without taking a proverbial shot at his political rival, Gov. Kevin Stitt, blaming the governor for a lack of oversight. [The Oklahoman]
- Drummond drops out of ClassWallet lawsuit, says state should do the same [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma auto body shops are suing to block a new law. Here’s why: The 2025 law blocks “assignment of benefit” contracts, where vehicle owners give auto body repair shops the right to file insurance claims and collect benefits directly. As it passed through the legislature with few questions and no debate, the bill was pitched as a response to contractors who abuse the system, do unauthorized work and overcharge insurance companies. [The Oklahoman]
Goal for new state AI officer’s job is ‘modern digital government’: Tai Phan, who was recently named as the state’s first chief artificial intelligence and technology officer, said his job officially is to “spearhead Oklahoma’s acceleration toward a more secure, resilient and modern digital government” and to deliver “responsible AI innovation at scale for statewide agencies and citizens.” Put more simply, and as Phan describes it, he wants to put AI to work as a “smart assistant” to help state agencies serve people better. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma takes new steps to host multi-million dollar spaceplane at Burns Flat: The Oklahoma Aerospace and Aeronautics Commission voted Wednesday to allocate $490,900 to designs for a spacecraft hangar. The commission’s decision comes after the state’s $17 million agreement with international space company Dawn Aerospace was approved earlier this year. Oklahoma’s Burns Flat air and space port was chosen to be the first in the United States to host Dawn Aerospace’s plane, which is set to begin flights in 2027. [StateImpact via Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready: Ending premium subsidies requires a glide path approach: The enhanced premium tax credits for health insurance are set to expire at the end of this year, spelling out a crisis for nearly 300,000 Oklahomans who depend on Marketplace plans for coverage unless Congress acts. These enhanced premium tax credits were always intended to be temporary, and they should end. Instead of a hard stop, we must focus on a glide path approach. [Glen Mulready / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Water insecurity a reality for much of rural Oklahoma: Many Oklahomans assume water insecurity is not an issue that affects them, or that it only happens in places with extreme poverty or failing infrastructure. The truth is water insecurity is affecting communities across the state right now, and its impact on health and well-being is far more severe than many people understand. [Raine Girardot / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s database of campaign spending and lobbyists is off-line, and the public is paying for it: It’s been nearly three months since the Oklahoma Ethics Commission took down its database that tracks critical parts of our legislative and election processes, including candidate spending, lobbying and political action committees. No one in state government seems to know when Guardian will be back in working order. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Major meeting on FEMA overhaul recommendation suddenly shelved: The 12-member council tasked with overhauling the Federal Emergency Management Agency abruptly canceled the Thursday meeting where members were supposed to debate and vote on their recommendations. [Oklahoma Voice]
States will keep pushing AI laws despite Trump’s efforts to stop them: State lawmakers of both parties said they plan to keep passing laws regulating artificial intelligence despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop them. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Trump signs order intended to block states from regulating AI [Oklahoma Voice]
US House advances bill around water permits; environmental groups say it guts water protections: The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass a bill that Republicans say would reform the Clean Water Act and cut through regulatory burdens. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Citizen Potawatomi Nation blazes new path with foreign trade zone, helping companies navigate tariff changes: About an hour’s drive outside Oklahoma City is one of the first active foreign trade zones in Indian Country — an economic tool for tribes and companies seeking stability amid fluctuating tariffs. Meet Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Iron Horse Industrial Park. [KOSU]
Oklahoma casino shut down after ‘overthrow’ of tribal government: But over the past few weeks, an internal dispute over who is in charge of the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town (TTT) has triggered a near-shutdown of the tribe’s government and forced the casino to shut its doors. One of the main issues raised by opposition factions is that the tribe’s current leadership hasn’t called an election in 18 years. [The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Voting by mail faces uncertain moment ahead of midterm elections: Across the United States, voting by mail faces a moment of uncertainty ahead of the midterm elections next year. President Trump has assailed mail-in voting and vowed this summer to lead a movement to eliminate the practice, promoting baseless claims that mailed ballots are linked to widespread fraud. Some states are also reevaluating their mail-in voting laws, including shortening or ending grace periods that now require election officials to count mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day. [Oklahoma Voice]
Candidates aim to unseat Lowe, Davidson as OK County commissioners: Oklahoma County Commissioner Jason Lowe has drawn two opponents, and Commissioner Myles Davidson has attracted a second challenger for his seat, in next year’s elections. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa Democrats ‘incredibly disappointed’ at state primary mishap: The head of Tulsa’s Democrats is “incredibly disappointed” that independents will be temporarily barred from her party’s primaries. The Oklahoma Election Board said Wednesday that no parties had filed the correct paperwork to open their primaries to independent voters, a practice the Democrats adopted a decade ago. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Political Parties Opt to Close Upcoming Primaries [Oklahoma Watch]
- Capitol Insider: Closed party primaries expected for the next two years [KGOU]
Education News
List of who was on Walters’ Library Media Advisory Committee not accessible: A membership list for a committee within the Oklahoma State Department of Education – to which former state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters added the woman behind the conservative “Libs of TikTok” social media account – is not accessible, even after Walters’ departure, the agency says. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: We must say no to any religious public charter schools: Earlier this month, the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board learned that among its pending applications was one that should never exist in a constitutional democracy: a “virtual religious charter high school.” The proposal came from the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, an organization that already runs Hebrew-English charter schools in Florida and now wants to test whether Oklahoma might allow a publicly funded school that is explicitly religious. If this sounds familiar, that’s because Oklahoma already tried to bulldoze the wall between church and state and nearly succeeded. [Kevin Bolling / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Academic advising isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity: If Oklahoma wants to improve college completion and economic mobility, we must change our policies on academic advising. [Lara Jernigan / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Attorney general should investigate funding scandal at OSU: Earlier this year, the state auditor released a damning report on OSU’s finances and its foundation. Despite this, no internal investigation has been announced. Instead, the Board of Regents is spending $120,000 on a Washington, DC, PR firm to manage the university’s image. That choice speaks volumes. Image management has taken priority over accountability. [Vance Winningham / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: At what point? Governance at the University of Tulsa: Despite an outsized endowment and more than a century of history, the University of Tulsa has had six presidents in 13 years, with a seventh on the way. The pattern is undeniable. This is not simply a leadership problem, it’s a governance problem. [Terrie Shipley / Tulsa World]
Health News
Criminalizing pregnant women is hurting Oklahoma’s mothers and babies: An Oklahoma nonprofit says pregnant mothers with substance use disorders need safer pathways to treatment, not criminalization. Metriarch is a nonpartisan research and policy group focused on improving women’s health in Oklahoma. The organization detailed the disconnect between the state’s punishments for pregnant women with substance use disorders and the care recommended by health experts and researchers in “Paths To Recovery.” [Tulsa Flyer]
Criminal Justice News
After week of legal confusion, judge suspends Coal County sheriff: A district judge formally suspended Coal County Sheriff Jason Smith and ordered him to turn over his badge and gun Thursday, issuing the ruling after county commissioners improperly attempted to remove him Monday with an invalid vote. [NonDoc]
New murder trial ordered over jury instructions involving Adderall-induced psychosis: The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the conviction of Robert William Rainford for the murder of his neighbor in Muskogee and remanded his case back to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma for a new trial in the death of musician Trent Scoggins. [NonDoc]
Payne County prosecutor responds to public outcry over Jesse Butler case: More than a month after a Payne County court gave “youthful offender” status to Jesse Mack Butler, the prosecutor in the rape and assault case has issued a statement trying to explain what happened. [The Oklahoman]
DUI arrests by state troopers in Tulsa County decline after OHP policy change: Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers made 41% fewer DUI-related arrests in Tulsa County during the first month of a new OHP policy aimed at reducing patrols on metro interstate highways in favor of more rural area enforcement, according to a Tulsa World review of court records. [Tulsa World]
Suspect killed near Oklahoma City in officer-involved shooting, chase: A suspect is dead after Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers assisted the Mustang Police Department in a vehicle pursuit before 5 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. [The Oklahoman]
City of Tulsa looking to secure sites for new jail, municipal court: The city is considering multiple arrangements at multiple locations in its effort to secure new sites for the city jail and municipal court, city records indicate. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
OKC apartments for rent saw slight increases since last November: Renters in Oklahoma City saw apartment listing prices slightly increase from last year’s median of $1,200, an analysis of new data from rental marketplace Zumper shows. [USA Today via The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
Stardust Power’s Muskogee lithium refinery clears major engineering review: Stardust Power has announced that its planned lithium refinery in Muskogee has passed a critical independent engineering review, marking a major milestone as the company prepares to build Oklahoma’s first facility for processing the battery metal. [The Journal Record]
Stitt leads entrepreneurship panel with founders of Poppi, SchooLinks: Through his role as the National Governors Association chairman, Gov. Kevin Stitt hosted a panel of entrepreneurs seeking to find solutions to prepare Americans for the economy of tomorrow. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
Hochatown Fights for Its Own ZIP Code: Hochatown is a 240-person community that shares a ZIP code with a larger city, Broken Bow, which sits 10 miles to the south. When towns are clumped in with others by ZIP code, the communities could experience everything from ambulances getting sent to the wrong address to tourism dollars getting misdirected. [Oklahoma Watch]
More Mexican nationals in Oklahoma seek Plan B for their children: dual citizenship: Carlos Padilla, consul at the Mexican consulate in Oklahoma City, said his office has seen an increase in demand for dual citizenship this year. He believes most of the increase has to do with an awakening from the Hispanic and Latino community about identity. He recognized that many people currently are dealing with uncertainty and want to be prepared in case they must return to Mexico. [Tulsa Flyer]
Opinion: ‘Our dignity is inherent’: Transphobic rhetoric harms Oklahomans: The reality is there is no shortage of transphobic hate, from pulpit to government, and it has serious consequences that increasingly result in the deaths of our 2STGNC+ siblings. Those lost include Nex Benedict, Fern Galindo, Daniel Davis Aston, Brooklyn Stevenson, and so many more Oklahomans lost amid unchecked transphobia, transmisia, transmisogyny and transmisogynoir. An undeniable truth: There has never been a world without people who live and love beyond the western gender binary, and there never will be. We cannot tolerate folks who are supposed to represent the people’s best interests using their platform to further harm trans communities. [Cole McAfee & Mauree Turner / NonDoc]
Local Headlines
- Clinton receives grant for restoration of Route 66 landmark [KOSU]
- Tulsa Housing Authority lays groundwork for 100-plus affordable housing units at The Hilltop [Oklahoma Eagle via Tulsa Flyer]
- Inasmuch Foundation awards $5.79M to 43 Oklahoma nonprofits [The Journal Record]
- Tulsa’s Greenwood Cultural Center closes for six-month renovation, new exhibits [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“The (child care) system cannot continue to swing between emergency funding and emergency cuts. Oklahomans need reliable, high-quality child care access for working families, and stable funding is the only way forward.”
-Oklahoma Department of Human Services Director Jeffrey Cartmell. Because of federal funding fluctuations, the agency has cut child care subsidies for school-age children. The agency has asked for $70 million to “stabilize the child care system and prevent future funding cliffs. Oklahoma’s largest trade association for the child care industry is suing the department to stop it from enforcing cuts it made during the federal government shutdown. [StateImpact via KGOU]
Number of the Day
44%
The share of workers paid the federal minimum wage or less who were under age 25 in 2023. While young workers made up only about one-fifth of hourly paid workers overall, they accounted for nearly half of minimum wage earners, highlighting how heavily low wages fall on younger people. [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Policy Note
Youth subminimum wages and why they should be eliminated: Youth subminimum wages allow employers to pay workers under age 20 significantly less than the standard minimum wage for up to 90 days, costing young workers thousands in lost earnings. These lower wage tiers disproportionately affect Black and Hispanic youth, deepening racial income disparities and reducing financial stability for already vulnerable groups. Evidence shows that eliminating subminimum wages would boost earnings for millions of young workers without harming employment, while simplifying the wage system and strengthening labor market equity. Removing these age-based wage exceptions can help ensure fairer pay and broader economic opportunity for all young workers. [Economic Policy Institute]
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
