Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt kicked off the 2026 legislative session with his eighth and final State of the State address on Monday. After boasting about his accomplishments over the past seven years, the governor laid out his policy priorities for the session. Those include bolstering school choice by removing the cap on the Parental Choice Tax Credit, as well as eliminating the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), which organizes and regulates secondary school athletics and activity competitions in the state. Stitt expressed his desire for the governor to appoint a superintendent of public education rather than the voters electing one, saying it is better for leadership alignment. It’s important to note that Stitt appointed Ryan Walters as his Secretary of Education before endorsing Walters in his race for Superintendent. Then, Stitt found himself at odds with Walters during his brief tenure in office. Stitt also called for the creation of three state questions: one to cap recurring spending growth, specifically making adjustments to Medicaid expansion. Another proposed state question would freeze property tax growth and a third would overturn State Question 788, which made medical marijuana legal in Oklahoma. The governor’s policy priorities are essentially his wish list. He still has to get lawmakers on board to accomplish these, but his priorities and those of state lawmakers don’t always align. Thank you to OETA for providing the audio feed of the speech. We’ll have more coverage and offer context on the radio, on this podcast, and online at KOSU.org.

After overhauling literacy policy in 2013, Mississippi went from 49th to a top 10 state in fourth-grade reading. It’s been dubbed the “Mississippi Miracle,” but those involved say it was more of a marathon. State lawmakers are now hoping to perform that same miracle in Oklahoma this legislative session.

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2026 starts with drought across much of southern Oklahoma and La Niña still in place. What does that mean for the rest of the year? StateImpact’s Logan Layden talks to state climatologist Gary McManus about what to expect.

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Traditional Medicare rarely requires providers to seek approval before delivering care. That is changing this month in six states, including Oklahoma. A federal pilot is using private companies with AI tools to process prior authorizations and reduce spending on certain treatments.

Oklahoma providers and patients are concerned about how the program could impact access to care for the nation’s growing aging population.

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One of the longest-running citizen science projects wrapped its annual event Monday. Birders across Oklahoma had eyes to the skies to find out which species are living in or visiting the state during early winter. StateImpact’s Chloe Bennett-Steele joined some of them earlier this week.

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The federal government has a trust responsibility to fund Indigenous health care. But the Indian Health Service (IHS) has long been underfunded by it.

June Zhao, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health, said she learned about this issue in conversation with leadership at an IHS clinic in the state. They shared how limited financial resources result in challenges with hiring staff and maintaining facilities. This has impacted their ability to provide health care.

She decided she wanted to help address this fundamental problem.

StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor and KOSU’s Sarah Liese spoke with Zhao about her recent research, which explores a solution that could help increase and sustain IHS funding.

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Oklahoma ranks high nationally for its pricey home insurance premiums. As climate change brings more extreme weather and inflation affects purchasing power, some look to policy changes to settle escalating insurance costs.

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