Articles
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Criminal Justice
Oklahoma Democrats say no masks for ICE—even as threats against officers rise
Twenty members of the Oklahoma House Democratic caucus are demanding that immigration enforcement officials display visible name tags and refrain from concealing their faces while making arrests, even as threats and harassment against those officers surge nationwide.Ray Carter | July 22, 2025
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Good Government
Former Oklahoma governor, attorneys general defend initiative-petition reform
Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and former Attorneys General Scott Pruitt and John O’Connor are urging the Oklahoma Supreme Court to uphold a new law that reforms the state’s initiative-petition process to ensure broader geographic representation.Ray Carter | July 22, 2025
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Economy, Good Government
Oklahoma among nation’s job-growth leaders since COVID
Since the COVID-19 disruption in early 2020, Oklahoma has emerged as one of the nation’s top job creators, ranking 14th in payroll growth according to a new analysis of federal data.Ray Carter | July 21, 2025
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Health Care
Medicaid work requirements make moral and fiscal sense
Oklahomans have to work to pay the taxes that fund Medicaid. But it’s somehow wrong to require able-bodied, childless adults on Medicaid to work?Jonathan Small | July 21, 2025
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Education
One in four Oklahoma youth benefiting from school choice
Many claim that 95% of Oklahoma students attend their local public school. In reality, the share of Oklahoma students whose families “choose” to enroll in the geographically closest public school may be closer to 76 percent.Ray Carter | July 18, 2025
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Education
As NEA commits to fight ‘fascist’ Trump, lawmakers target union’s federal charter
At its recent national convention, the National Education Association (NEA)—the parent organization of Oklahoma’s OEA—approved a series of resolutions attacking President Trump, defending illegal immigration, and more.Ray Carter | July 17, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma teacher pay ranks higher than many realize
Despite claims from state House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson that Oklahoma ranks “last in the region for teacher pay,” data from the National Education Association and the Oklahoma State School Boards Association tell a different story.Ray Carter | July 16, 2025
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Higher Education
Oklahoma’s Promise is available to teachers’ children—now let’s extend it to everyone
Oklahoma teachers’ families can now use tax dollars for tuition at any public or private college. If it’s good enough for teachers’ kids, it’s good enough for everyone. It’s time for the Legislature to fund students, not institutions.Byron Schlomach, Ph.D. | July 16, 2025
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Higher Education
As Trump DOJ cracks down on in-state tuition for illegal aliens, OU and OSU mum
The U.S. Department of Justice has begun suing states that provide in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants while charging higher rates to out-of-state U.S. citizens. When asked about their policies, neither OU nor OSU responded to a request for comment.Ray Carter | July 15, 2025
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Law & Principles
Oklahoma Supreme Court: McGirt doesn’t extend to civil and regulatory law
In a major clarification of the legal limits of the McGirt decision, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that McGirt does not extend to civil regulatory authority.Ray Carter | July 14, 2025