In The Know: Gov. signs $12.8B state budget bill | Cherokee chief banned from speaking on Oklahoma House floor | Swapping one tax for a worse one doesn’t pay off

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.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2026 Subscribe // View web version (current and archived) Swapping one tax for a worse one doesn’t pay off   Public education is the foundation of a strong workforce and equal opportunity. It creates pathways for upward mobility and economic growth. In Oklahoma, however, that foundation is increasingly at risk. While lawmakers claim to prioritize public schools, current legislative efforts tell a different story — one where lawmakers are weakening critical funding streams without clear plans to replace them. [Aanahita Irani Ervin / OK Policy] Apply Now for the 2026 Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute   OK Policy’s Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute (SPI) brings together highly-qualified college students, recent graduates, and new policy professionals for a three-day learning experience that informs participants about Oklahoma’s policy landscape and provides tools and resources to create change in our state. Apply by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, May 10, 2026. Learn More & Apply Know someone who would be a good fit for SPI? Please send them the link above. Lawmakers are actively considering a bill to cut local revenue for public schools, sheriffs departments, emergency management services, and career techs. This revenue stays local and never goes to the state.   Rural counties will be most impacted in the long term: Schools closures, inadequately staffed emergency services, and overburdened sheriffs departments with limited capacity.    Senate Joint Resolution 39 (SJR 39) severely restricts future revenue growth from property taxes. This means less revenue for local services across the board, permanently. This will be the largest cut to public education and career techs in recent history.   SJR 39 doesn't help; it hurts Oklahoma communities. TELL YOUR SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON SJR 39 $41 billion   A recent study of 88 corporations found that if these companies were still taxed at the old 35% corporate income tax rate — before Republicans and President Trump passed two tax cuts starting in 2017 — they would have paid a combined $41 billion in taxes in 2025. Today, the official federal tax rate for corporations is 21%, but the companies in this study paid no federal income taxes at all last year. In fact, they received $4.7 billion in tax rebates. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy] 88 Corporations, $105 Billion in Profits, Zero Federal Income Tax   At least 88 of the largest corporations in America paid no federal corporate income taxes in their most recent fiscal year despite enjoying substantial pretax profits in the U.S. While the biggest U.S. corporations have avoided taxes in this way for decades, it appears that corporate tax avoidance has increased in the most recent year. This is at least in part due to two separate packages of corporate tax cuts pushed through by the Trump administration: last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy] “Your letter, better than anything I have seen during my time as principal chief, illustrates the great challenges for tribes in engaging with the state of Oklahoma.”   —Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., writing a response to Speaker Kyle Hilbert's letter announcing a decision to ban him from speaking on the House floor. Hilbert said the chief was not welcome back after he took a “political position” speaking in support of Medicaid expansion during a recent address to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. [NonDoc] Oklahoma News   Medicaid expansion improved access to opioid addiction treatment in Oklahoma, study says: Overdose deaths declined significantly in Oklahoma. Researchers say fewer people are dying, in part, due to Medicaid expansion in the state. After expanding Medicaid, Oklahoma recorded a steep increase in access to a key opioid addiction medication, according to a study published in February. [KOSU]   Oklahoma’s ‘fragile’ child care system is at a funding cliff and Tulsa child care centers shift into survival mode: As of April, 131 child care centers have closed this year in Oklahoma after 472 shut their doors last year, according to the state’s Department of Human Services. The end of pandemic-era subsidy add-ons is hitting small providers and north Tulsa child care centers especially hard. [Tulsa Flyer]   State Farm Told a Retired Judge His Adjuster Report Was a Corporate Secret; He Lawyered Up: The story of Judge James Linehan serves as a reminder that even judges can get caught up in the alleged scheme to deny claims of roof hail damage. [Oklahoma Watch]   Opinion: 'Big Ugly' law's Medicaid cuts put Oklahoma communities at risk: The consequences of last year’s Republican reconciliation package — which opponents have dubbed the “Big Ugly Law” — are barreling toward an immediate and potentially devastating impact for communities across Oklahoma, especially in rural areas. A new report from Public Citizen reveals that hospitals across Oklahoma are now at serious risk due to deep Medicaid cuts included in the legislation. [Lisa Gilbert / The Oklahoman] From OK Policy: H.R. 1 could push Oklahoma’s health care system past its breaking point State Government News   Governor signs Oklahoma budget bill: Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed the fiscal year 2027 budget bill. Senate Bill 1177, called the general appropriations bill, appropriates $12.8 billion, up slightly from this fiscal year’s nearly $12.6 billion budget. Democrats said the measure did not do enough to help working Oklahomans struggling with rising costs and lack of services. Some far right Republicans said it catered too much to special interests and lobbyists. They also said it spent too much money. [Oklahoma Voice] Gov. Kevin Stitt signs $12.8 billion Oklahoma budget bill [KOSU] Senators detail dissent as Freedom Caucus opposes some GOP-supported budget bills [Tulsa World] Hilbert to Hoskin: Medicaid expansion comments ‘inappropriate’ in House floor speech: One day after Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. spoke to the Oklahoma House of Representatives and referenced his opposition to proposals that could rollback Medicaid expansion, Speaker Kyle Hilbert wrote Hoskin a letter expressing his “disappointment” with the chief’s decision to “delve into political matters” during his invited speech. [NonDoc] Cherokee chief won’t be allowed to speak on Oklahoma House floor again, chamber leader says [Oklahoma Voice] Oklahoma tribal chief banned from speaking on the house floor over Medicaid expansion [KFOR] Oklahoma lawmakers advance state question to cap property tax growth: Despite concerns it could harm local funding for schools, counties and roads, House lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a state question aiming to cap property tax growth. [Oklahoma Voice] From OK Policy: Fact Sheet: Property taxes are vital to the health of local government in Oklahoma Property tax exemption measure faces Oklahoma Supreme Court challenge: Opponents of State Question 843 filed a protest in the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday just six days shy of the deadline, preventing it from proceeding to the 90-day signature collection period unimpeded. [The Journal Record] Oklahoma voters challenge effort to eliminate property taxes, say it would have ‘devastating effect’ [Oklahoma Voice] Gov. Stitt picks in-law for tourism board, then withdraws nomination: Gov. Kevin Stitt has asked the state Senate to appoint his sister-in-law to a six-year post on the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission. Her nomination won't be considered, however, because his office said he would withdraw his request after The Oklahoman inquired about her qualifications. [The Oklahoman]   Rep. John Waldron submits resignation effective Oct. 1: Rep. John Waldron, who resigned as Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman after sending a woman an AI-generated sexualized GIF, has filed an irrevocable letter to resign from his House District 77 seat effective Oct. 1 — more than five months from now and less than two months before his current term will end. [NonDoc] Waldron resigns following News 4 report of second woman alleging inappropriate behavior [KFOR] Embattled Tulsa Rep. John Waldron informs Stitt he'll resign as of Oct. 1 [Tulsa World] Under fire for AI image, John Waldron to resign from House seat [Oklahoma Voice] Long underfunded, Oklahoma Teacher Retirement System nears full solvency: For the first time in its 84-year existence, the Oklahoma Teacher Retirement System is on the verge of long-term self-sufficiency. At least, that's what the Oklahoma Legislature seems to think. [Tulsa World]   Legislative Roundup Lawmakers advance bill to make Oklahoma's statewide school cell ban permanent [StateImpact Oklahoma via KOSU] Oklahoma bill adds requirements for veterinary telemedicine [KOSU] Oklahoma lawmakers advance bill to prevent higher electricity rates from data centers [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU] Opinion, This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Governor signs budget, banks blacklist unconstitutional, independent voters and more (podcast): The panelists talk about Gov. Stitt signing a $12.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2027, the State Supreme Court limiting a law blacklisting banks for discriminating against the oil and gas industry and a state lawmaker suspending his reelection campaign after an artificial intelligence kissing image. The trio also discusses the state Ethics Commission reprimanding a candidate for Lieutenant Governor and thousands of independent voters switching their party affiliation ahead of the partisan primaries in June. [KOSU]   Opinion: Stitt vs tribes rhetoric outpaces reality: One of the enduring mysteries of Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s eight years in office is his antipathy towards Oklahoma’s tribal nations. Stitt, of course, isn’t the state’s first governor faced with the challenges of navigating an oft-byzantine world in which tribal sovereignty collides with state or federal law. But he is the first in the 21st century to effectively declare war on tribal governments whom he seems to regard as his subordinates. [Arnold Hamilton / The Journal Record]   Voting and Election News   Pugh prevails over state superintendent candidacy challenge, board boots Ranson opponent: Following a set of candidacy contestation hearings before the Oklahoma State Election Board today, Sen. Adam Pugh prevailed over a challenge to his candidacy for the state superintendent of public instruction position, while Rep. Trish Ranson successfully ousted a Republican challenger for HD 34. [NonDoc] Adam Pugh to stay on state superintendent ballot, Oklahoma election board decides [Oklahoma Voice] Board rejects bid to disqualify Adam Pugh from OK superintendent race [The Oklahoman] Education News   'My kid's in there!' 911 calls capture panic after Oklahoma school shooting: Newly released 911 calls after the shooting at Pauls Valley High School reveal the immediate panic and confusion as officers and medical crews rushed to the school. [The Oklahoman]   Health News   Oklahoma program to prevent abortions struggled with spending. Lawmakers want to give it more money: A program aimed at decreasing the number of Oklahoma women having abortions lagged in its first-year spending and has significant problems with inconsistent and incomplete data, according to an evaluation of the Choosing Childbirth Program issued by the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative. Lawmakers who sponsored legislation expanding the program say they are unaware of the evaluation. [Tulsa Flyer]   Criminal Justice News   Oklahoma County jail trust zeroes in on jail budget with new finance panel: Six years in, and with a long-muddled budget, the public trust that has governed the operation of the troubled Oklahoma County jail since 2020 is taking on jail finances directly. [The Oklahoman]   Opinion: Detention risk assessment tools won't address real issues: Oklahoma lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 1618, which would require “validated risk assessment” tools to help decide who stays in jail after an arrest. On paper, it may sound like a modern solution. But there’s a problem: Computers can’t actually predict the future. [Emma Stammen / The Oklahoman]   Economy & Business News   Is the percentage of income spent on groceries per household in Oklahoma among the highest in the nation?: Multiple analyses of food prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Consumer Expenditure Survey rank Oklahoma at No. 8 for grocery costs as a share of median state income. [Oklahoma Watch]   Opinion: Planned reorganization of CompSource won't benefit Oklahoma: A company created with Oklahoma taxpayer funds is at risk of becoming a profit engine for investors. [Bob Burke / The Oklahoman]   Local Headlines Oklahoma County officials balk at proposals for 'found' $14 million [The Oklahoman] Tulsa City Council rejects conflict of interest claims, authorizes sale of former Rudisill Library [Tulsa Flyer] E’Lena Ashley’s legal battle against Tulsa Public Schools moves to state Supreme Court [Tulsa Flyer] Support Our Work with a Donation In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail. Contact Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S. 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