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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
OK Policy comments on revenue numbers estimated during December’s Board of Equalization meeting: The Board of Equalization on Friday certified an $8.225 billion estimate of funds for the governor’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal. Given this is an early estimate, lawmakers should not view this as a green light to move forward with future revenue cuts in the form of poorly planned tax cuts. Instead, lawmakers should modernize existing tax credits that put money into the pockets of the Oklahomans who need it most, while also protecting vital state revenue. These targeted tax credits are the most fiscally responsible way for lawmakers to deliver tax relief to Oklahomans who need them. [Aanahita Ervin / OK Policy]
Speaker announces House leadership, committee chairs; adds new oversight committees (Capitol Update): Incoming Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, finalized his leadership and committee chair appointments last week in preparation for the upcoming legislative session that begins Feb. 3. Several of the top appointments have been poorly kept secrets for a while. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma FY26: Drummond has ‘no confidence’ in equalization board’s flat budget estimate: The leaders of the Senate and the House budget committees got their first look at what could be the Oklahoma budget for fiscal year 2026 on Friday. The best way to describe that view is one word: flat. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma officials expect to have less to spend on next budget [Oklahoma Voice]
- Drummond, legislators question estimated state budget revenue figure [KFOR]
- Stitt to continue push for tax cut, but Drummond questions budget estimates [Tulsa World]
State Government News
New allegations target Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett; court asked to intervene: Additional allegations of misconduct have been lodged against embattled Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett, and the state Supreme Court has been asked to overturn a recent commission decision that hinged on a vote cast by Hiett to raise utility bills paid by Oklahomans. [Tulsa World]
Stitt appoints his former general counsel, who’s represented Walters, as a district judge: Gov. Kevin Stitt has quietly appointed his former general counsel – an attorney who has also recently represented state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters in high-profile cases – as a district judge for Payne and Logan counties. [The Oklahoman]
Ryan Walters’ proposed rule changes concerns open records advocates: Oklahoma open records advocates are concerned about proposed changes to Oklahoma State Department of Education administrative rules that would appear to alter how the agency approaches open records requests, a subject that’s gained the attention of Attorney General Gentner Drummond in recent months. [The Oklahoman]
Lawmakers review Ryan Walters’ proposed social studies standards heavy on Bible, patriotism: As lawmakers and educators began digging into Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters’ proposed new state academic standards for social studies, many encouraged patience as the process of reviewing the proposal takes it course. [The Oklahoman]
Political notebook: Sheila Vancuren to seek husband’s vacated seat; targeted tax cuts: Sheila Vancuren, the wife of state Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso, said she will be a candidate to replace her husband in a special election next year. Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, filed bills to raise the low-income sales tax credit from $40 to $200 and to institute a $110 credit for those who rent their homes. [Tulsa World]
Roundup: FY 2026 budget projection down, Wellston substitute gets 4 years, Mashburn retiring: If you missed the Oklahoma Board of Equalization’s 20-minute meeting Dec. 20, no one would blame you. The board of statewide officials reconvenes in February each year to certify the final appropriation limit the Legislature uses to build the next fiscal year’s budget. [NonDoc]
What laws go into effect January 1? Oklahoma introduces 7 new laws: Oklahoma legislators and Governor Kevin Stitt passed seven bills into law during this previous legislative session, which will go into effect at the top of the year. These bills will impact elections, healthcare and insurance, income tax and worker’s compensation throughout Oklahoma. When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day, all seven laws will be effective and the new reality for Oklahomans. [The Oklahoman]
Lawmaker makes another attempt to give state control of school districts’ libraries: Senate Bill 19, introduced by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, would require school districts and charter schools to submit lists of the materials in their libraries to the Oklahoma State Board of Education. This would give the State Board of Education and State Superintendent Ryan Walters broad authority to determine what books should be available to students. [Tulsa World]
Federal Government News
Rep. Tom Cole, House GOP struggled to put together budget deal after Trump shot down plan: The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress briefly reached a bipartisan agreement on a continuing budget resolution this week, which would have averted a federal government shutdown and, at the same time, pushed a full budget deal to January, after President Donald Trump has been sworn into office. [The Oklahoman]
- Rep. Brecheen joins hawkish Republicans in defying Trump, rejecting last-minute spending bill [Public Radio Tulsa]
New Short-Term Budget Leaves Out Victims Of Stolen SNAP Benefits: A new federal spending bill leaves out funding to replace stolen SNAP benefits, leaving thousands of victims, including many in Oklahoma, without help. [News 9]
- From Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Congress Must Extend Protections for SNAP Households Who Are Victims of Benefit Theft
Drummond, other state attorneys general prompt FCC crackdown: In response to an avalanche of pressure from nearly every state attorney general in the country, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has pledged to crackdown on fraudulent and deceptive robocalling activities that disrupt the daily lives of thousands every day. [The Journal Record]
Tribal Nations News
16 communities across Cherokee Nation reservation to get reliable internet, cell coverage by 2026: Sixteen communities across the Cherokee reservation can expect high-speed, reliable internet and cell coverage by the summer of 2026. Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the communities receiving these cell towers are where many Cherokee families settled after the forced removal. [KGOU]
Wind farm owner fights removal order as it appeals judge’s ruling: The owner of an Osage County wind farm said Friday it would seek a stay of a judge’s ruling that ordered its removal while an appeal is pursued. The announcement by Enel Green Power North America comes two days after a federal judge ordered the company to remove the 84-turbine wind farm by Dec. 1, 2025. [Tulsa World]
Choctaw Nation becomes first tribe to earn AEDO accreditation: The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has been recognized as one of 84 economic development organizations accredited by International Economic Development Council as an Accredited Economic Development Organization. [The Journal Record]
Education News
OKCPS superintendent says district will not collect immigration status of students, families: Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Polk told parents and teachers that the district does not, nor has no plans to, collect students’ immigration status after the Oklahoma State Board of Education proposed administrative rules requiring proof of citizenship upon enrollment. [The Oklahoman]
- Amid push for immigration checks, Tulsa Public Schools tries to reassure families [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa Public Schools responds to proposed state rule requiring counting of undocumented immigrants [Public Radio Tulsa]
- From OK Policy: All children have the fundamental right to an education
Oklahoma law credited for increasing enrollment in teacher education programs: More students are entering teacher education programs at Oklahoma colleges and universities, a jump that suggests a 2022 law aimed at addressing an ongoing teacher shortage may be working, according to a report by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa school board votes to proceed with Jennettie Marshall, E’Lena Ashley lawsuit: Tulsa Public Schools’ Board of Education members voted at a special meeting Friday afternoon to authorize their attorneys to proceed with litigation in an 11-month-old case filed by two board members and a charter school parent challenging the process followed to hire Ebony Johnson as superintendent in 2023. [Tulsa World]
Bacone College sells off 70 acres, looks to recruit students for 2025: About a year ago, Bacone College in Muskogee was scheduled for auction at a sheriff’s sale due to unpaid debts. That sale was halted after Bacone’s largest creditor learned about the extent of the school’s liabilities. Since then, Bacone has declared bankruptcy, lost its accreditation, and faced break-ins tied to a decision not to release academic records. Now, a small group of staff is working to get the school that once boasted a student body of mostly Native Americans up and running again. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Oklahoma appeals court rejects 3rd attempt to remove judge from Epic case: The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied a third and final request to remove a judge from the major embezzlement case against the co-founders of Epic Charter School, potentially ending a dispute that has sidetracked the proceedings for months. [Oklahoma Voice]
Health News
Proposed mental health facility on life support as OKC, Oklahoma County enter mediation: Oklahoma County and the City of Oklahoma City will enter into mediation in a last-ditch effort to save a mental health facility proposed for construction alongside the new county jail at 1901 E. Grand Blvd. [NonDoc]
- Plans for OK County jail health center survive as OKC and OK County head to mediation [The Oklahoman]
- Mediation offers hope in City-County battle over new jail, behavioral health facility site [Fox 25]
Oklahoma school shuts after whooping cough case amid state spike in infections: Binger-Oney Public Schools canceled school on Friday because of a positive case of whooping cough in the district, as cases of the infection are more than six times more than they were at this time last year according to the CDC. [Fox 25]
Criminal Justice News
Some Oklahoma parents turn kids over to the state after struggling to get mental health care for them: Once abandoned, these youth can face time in shelters or eventually age out of foster care, advocates and providers say. More intensive services early on could help keep families together. [The Frontier]
- From OK Policy: Reimagining Youth Justice in Oklahoma: A Landscape Report of the Youth Justice System and Recommendations for Reform
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Tenants On the Wrong Side of Policy: While evictions are frequent nationwide, with an estimated 3.6 million evictions filed each year, Oklahoma is among a group of states considered landlord-friendly. Landlord-friendly states have no rent control, cheap and simple eviction processes and low property taxes. In landlord-friendly states, tenants often find themselves on the losing side of policy. Most of Oklahoma’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act has not been changed to meaningfully benefit tenants since it was enacted in 1978. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation: Lengthening the eviction timeline will increase access to justice for Oklahoma renters
- From OK Policy, 2024 Session Recap: Lawmakers missed opportunities to reduce evictions and ensure tenants have safe housing
Mayor Nichols shares details from plan to address city’s homelessness crisis: Mayor Monroe Nichols envisions a time in the not-too-distant future when the city has a comprehensive system in place to address homelessness and get the unsheltered off the streets. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Report: Oklahoma’s changing climate is largely to blame for insurance troubles: Increasingly severe weather events are leading to mounting policy premiums and non-renewal rates, according to a U.S. Senate Budget Committee report. [KGOU]
Solar company NorSun to close its Norway facility, make Tulsa its manufacturing hub: Just six months after announcing plans to open its first American manufacturing facility in Tulsa, European solar energy company NorSun is closing its production facility in Norway and shifting its operations here, the company announced. [Tulsa World]
2024 was big for bitcoin. States could see a crypto policy blitz in 2025 in spite of the risks: The new year will usher in the bitcoin-friendly administration of President-elect Donald Trump and an expanding lobbying effort in statehouses that, together, could push states to become more open to crypto and for public pension funds and treasuries to buy into it. [AP News]
Community News
Initiative looks to address violence in Tulsa, boost young men: Mayor Monroe Nichols on Thursday afternoon announced the launch of the Tulsa Community-Based Violence Intervention Initiative. It comes from the City and organizations working with the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance that aims to “make safe and supportive communities a reality for all of our nation’s boys and young men of color.” [Public Radio Tulsa]
Editorial: Let holiday light be a guide to forge an optimistic year: Our nation and our world are not new to strife, but we must take time to remember how to repair the damage and heal. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- OKC’s Rapid Northwest bus route provided nearly half a million rides in its first year [KGOU]
Quote of the Day
“This is not because they are poorer, or worse tenants, or because housing costs are higher here, but because our laws have been structured to make evictions cheap and fast.”
-Katie Dilks, Executive Director of Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation, speaking about why Oklahoma renters experience eviction at higher rates than most Americans. [Oklahoma Watch]
Number of the Day
73%
Percentage of eviction proceedings in Oklahoma County that resulted in evictions because the tenants were not present at court. [Shelterwell]
- From OK Policy: Providing legal representation could begin to fix Oklahoma’s broken eviction process
Policy Note
How One City Cut Its Poverty Rate By More Than a Third: Over the past decade, Richmond, Va., has managed to cut its poverty rate by 36 percent. Many things broke right for the city, but a pair of mayors stuck with a longterm plan to make it happen. [Governing]
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