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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
Passing Dental Therapy Legislation in Oklahoma: Offering Essential Services in Underserved Areas (Guest Article): As the 60th Oklahoma Legislative Session begins in 2025, legislators will have the opportunity to consider dental therapy legislation that would expand needed essential dental services for rural, tribal, and underserved communities throughout the state. Public health advocates and community members are encouraging all key stakeholders to consider this health policy issue through an ethical and equitable lens. [Dr. Mark Woodring / OK Policy Guest Article]
Oklahoma News
New budget chiefs say they want to see revenue projections before committing to tax cuts: With the first session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature just weeks away, leaders in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the state Senate are moving quickly to start the budget writing process. And while it’s too early to say what, exactly, the new budget will look like, the incoming chairmen of the House and Senate budget committees have some ideas. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma saw a historic high in tornadoes this year as weather patterns change: Tornadoes swept through Oklahoma this year at a record-breaking number of 147. Last month alone saw at least 30, breaking 1958’s November historic record of 12. [KGOU]
State Government News
Drivers likely to pay increased tolls as ACCESS Oklahoma costs exceed projections: The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is set to decide Tuesday whether to raise tolls an average of 15% to pay rising ACCESS Oklahoma costs. The 15-year ACCESS Oklahoma was originally set at $5 billion when it was unveiled in 2022, but in November turnpike Director Joe Echelle warned construction costs were up by 60%. [The Oklahoman]
Poultry industry expert pins phosphorus in Illinois River on wastewater treatment plants: Any phosphorus found in the Illinois River on a “day-to-day basis” isn’t there as a result of runoff from nearby fields, a scientist hired by the poultry industry testified Friday. [Tulsa World]
‘Will of the people’: Oklahoma lawmaker proposes recall elections for state offices: An Oklahoma lawmaker wants to amend the state constitution to allow for recall elections at the state level. [Fox 25]
5% cost of living adjustments proposed for state pensioners in new legislation: Retired police officers, firefighters and other public sector pensioners could benefit financially under legislation proposed at the Capitol. Legislation, if passed this year, would set the stage for those who draw benefits from six of the state’s retirement systems to receive 5% cost of living adjustments beginning in 2026. [Tulsa World]
Growth of sports betting may be linked to financial woes, new studies find: While states have cheered the new tax revenue from sports gambling, some new studies have linked the burgeoning industry to lower consumer credit scores, higher credit card debt and less household savings. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma Ethics Commission signs contract for new online filing system: Candidates and political organizations in Oklahoma will see a new and more intuitive online filing system for reporting campaign donations and other information. [Tulsa World]
Roundup: Turnpike Authority considers toll hikes, Ethics Commission mulls rule changes, Hiett still besieged: Rules governing campaign finance and lobbying activities could be changing in Oklahoma, but not as much as the head of a recent task force on the topic would like. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s massive expansion plans have increased in cost, and so could the tolls drivers already pay starting Jan. 1. Some of the most conservative lawmakers in the Oklahoma House of Representatives are still fighting on multiple fronts to force Todd Hiett to recuse from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s consideration of major utility rate cases. [NonDoc]
Opinion: Capitol Insider: Staff changes as Stitt administration heads toward final two years: Kevin Stitt is nearing the final two years of his second term as governor, and he’s making some changes in his team, starting with chief of staff. [KGOU]
Opinion: Oklahoma must address its aging population by expanding transportation efforts: The Aging Our Way Oklahoma plan is a significant step forward in ensuring our state isn’t caught unprepared for the impending demographic shift. [Jeromy Buchanan / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s governor gave lawmakers an early Christmas gift. Will they take advantage of it?: Are our lawmakers and business leaders smart enough to recognize a gift buffalo when it kicks them in the face? It remains to be seen if it’s dawned on them that Stitt’s delay on the state question for raising the minimum wage has given them two full legislative sessions to have some tough conversations about how to responsibly raise our state’s minimum wage. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: SQ 832 (Minimum Wage Increase), Information and Resources
Federal Government News
Trump could change how Medicaid is funded using state block grants: To make up lost revenue from federal tax cuts, for the lost revenue, one possible solution proposed by conservatives would change how Medicaid – the taxpayer-subsidized health insurance program for low-income Americans – is funded. [KOSU]
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford shares Trump-era immigration plan at OKC chamber event: U.S. Senator James Lankford says boosting security at the southern border is a high priority under a second Trump administration. Lankford says he thinks his plan will get bipartisan and presidential approval. [KOSU]
Tribal Nations News
Cherokee Nation Tribal Council approves new car tag compact with the state: The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council has approved a proposed 10-year car tag compact with the state that will allow Cherokee citizens living outside the reservation to continue registering their vehicles with the tribe. [Tulsa World]
Cherokee Nation, Keetoowahs spar over law enforcement jurisdiction: A policing dispute has led to a renewed debate over sovereignty between two neighboring tribes. [Tulsa World]
Tourism association honors Choctaw Cultural Center: The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association has named the Choctaw Cultural Center its Best Cultural Heritage Experience. The award was given as part of the Excellence in Tourism Industry Awards. [The Journal Record]
Opinion: Winter is a dark time for some Native Americans, but isolation is not the answer: While the holiday season is a time of celebration for many, it can be particularly difficult for others. The longer nights and colder days can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs at specific times of the year, often in the winter months. For some Indigenous communities, the challenges that come with seasonal change is just the tip of the iceberg. [Melanie Johnson / The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Political notebook: Broken Arrow City Council postpones vacancy decision: The Broken Arrow City Council last week delayed action until at least Dec. 17 on its Ward 3 vacancy after nine people applied for the position. [Tulsa World]
Three Democrats, one independent, file to run for District 1 Oklahoma County commissioner: Four candidates, three Democrats and an independent, have filed to run for the unexpired term of the District 1 seat vacated by Carrie Blumert when she resigned to take a job in Tulsa. District 1 includes northeast Oklahoma City, Luther, Spencer, and parts of Midwest City and Del City. [The Oklahoman]
Incumbent, 2 challengers campaigning for Oklahoma City’s top school board seat: A three-way race for the top school board seat in Oklahoma City Public Schools features a longtime incumbent and two challengers intent on change. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Tulsa Public Schools, police hold annual forum to dispel fears of law enforcement: The Tulsa Police Department is trying to improve relations with the communities they serve, especially young people. Part of that push has been an annual forum with high school students from Tulsa Public Schools, which took place Friday at the Charles C. Mason Education Service Center. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Rose State’s Jeanie Webb, Oklahoma’s 2nd-longest-serving college president, set to retire: Rose State College President Jeanie Webb, the second-longest serving active president in Oklahoma higher education, has announced she will retire in July. [The Oklahoman]
Broken Arrow Public Schools releases calendar options for four-day week: In light of its potential shift to a four-day week, Broken Arrow Public Schools has released three draft calendars for the 2025-26 school year. [Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Clemency hearing for death row inmate Kevin Ray Underwood called off for second time: The clemency hearing for admitted child killer Kevin Ray Underwood had been called off − again. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a stay, blocking the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board from going forward with its special meeting. [The Oklahoman]
New Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs director’s top goal to instill hope: The new director of the state’s Office of Juvenile Affairs believes that to be truly meaningful, hope must amount to more than just a simple, ill-defined wish. He embraces the idea of hope, as promoted by the Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma, as an essential mindset needed for people to succeed, or even as a powerful force that can propel them to rise above the most difficult circumstances. [Tulsa World]
Tulsa lawyer named to Pardon and Parole Board to replace member under investigation: A Tulsa lawyer has been appointed to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to replace a board member who abruptly resigned after coming under criminal investigation. [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa attorney Susan Stava named to Pardon and Parole Board [Tulsa World]
Why defendants on supervised release could go unsupervised or back to jail in OK County: Could up to 1,000 criminal defendants now on supervised release be rounded up and sent back to the once-infamously overcrowded Oklahoma County jail? Or just left on the streets, unsupervised? It’s possible if officials can’t figure out how to shuffle money around and come up with about $300,000 to renew the county’s still-relatively new contract with nonprofit TEEM — The Education and Employment Ministry — which provides pretrial services and supervision through its Pretrial Release Initiative. [The Oklahoman]
“It Was What People Do”: A Tulsa woman’s ordeal of reported sexual assault by her father, a church pastor, reflects Oklahoma’s position as the state with the second highest rate of child abuse cases, per 100,000 people under 18, in the southern region of the country, and seventh in the nation. [Oklahoma Eagle]
- This is part two of The Oklahoma Eagle’s “The Children of Oklahoma” four-part series, following “Their,” an in-depth analysis of the state’s commitment-in-action for the safety and care of Oklahoma’s children. The first story explored the perceived culture of hate experienced by 2SLGBTQ+ children, fostered by state officials, and public figures.
Opinion: Oklahoma shouldn’t be Top 10 in keeping people in prison: Mass incarceration isn’t just burning a hole in Oklahoma’s wallet — it’s leaving children without parents and communities without hope. The costs of our state’s sentencing and incarceration policies are enormous. In the past several years, Oklahoma has appropriated over $540 million annually for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. [Cody Harris / The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
BOK Financial expert on U.S. economy explains why ‘we should remain optimistic’: Despite many financial uncertainties, ongoing wars and a new presidential administration, people should be optimistic about the U.S. economy, a local investment strategist with 40 years of experience said. [Tulsa World]
Bitcoin hits $100K: Notes on its rise, with Oklahoma suing in support of crypto: While some in Congress have argued about how best to rein in cryptocurrency excesses, the Biden administration’s Securities and Exchange Commission moved aggressively against the industry. In response, Oklahoma’s Gentner Drummond and 17 other Republican attorneys general sued, claiming the SEC had exceeded its authority. [Tulsa World]
Calm Waters, YWCA-OKC and City Care: Meet the women now at the helm of these nonprofits: The YWCA of Oklahoma City chose Kristie Chandler as its new president and chief executive officer, while Linda Maisch has become the new chief executive officer of Calm Waters Center for Children and Families. And, City Care OKC has selected Rachel Freeman as its new chief executive officer. [The Oklahoman]
Millions in funding sparks renewed vision for Classen Boulevard: All but forgotten over the last half century, Classen Boulevard is primed for a resurgence through hundreds of millions in public and private investment plans for redevelopment projects, quality of life improvements and beautification up and down the historic street. [The Journal Record]
Local Headlines
- City leaders consider hiring freeze as Oklahoma City’s budget enters $8M hole [KFOR]
- Meet the 2024 Tulsans of the Year: These people worked hard to make Tulsa better [Tulsa World]
- Key to Home requesting donations for homeless during winter months [KFOR]
- Stratford residents need to boil the town’s water before using it, according to DEQ [The Oklahoman]
- The City of Perkins identifies elevated lead levels in several buildings [KOSU]
- Oklahoma sod farm must pay back wages to employees [KOSU]
- Rural Oklahoma community libraries get funds for internet hotspots [KOSU]
Quote of the Day
“We’ve got one in five kids living in poverty in Oklahoma. It’s a hard stop. We shouldn’t focus on anything else until we focus on these needs because we’ve been starving them. This and housing are the two things that are most likely to get people out of poverty. Those two things really do help people get on their feet.”
-Shiloh Kantz, OK Policy’s Executive Director, speaking about budget priorities lawmakers should be considering for the upcoming legislative session. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
12th
Oklahoma had the 12th lowest per capita state tax collection ($3,267) in 2022. [Tax Foundation]
Policy Note
State Rundown: Some States Cast Away Fiscal Responsibility as They Plan for 2025: The 2025 legislative season will be here before we know it, and state lawmakers have begun unveiling their priorities and proposals. Unfortunately, despite stagnating revenue growth, many lawmakers continue to push for deep, regressive tax cuts – often before the full impact of previous tax cuts is felt. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy]
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