Lionel Ramos
State Government ReporterLionel Ramos covers state government at KOSU. He joined the station in January 2024 after covering race and equity as a Report For America corps member at Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit investigative newsroom in Oklahoma City.
Born into the circus, Ramos traveled across the country in an RV with his family for the first half of his life. He eventually landed in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended high school and community college before transferring to Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He holds a bachelor's degree in English with a focus on Creative Writing from Texas State, where he covered local and student government for the school's newspaper, The University Star.
At Oklahoma Watch, Ramos reported statewide on the rising political capital of Latinos in Oklahoma, the resettlement of Afghan refugees, the stakes for Indigenous Oklahomans in the Supreme Court's 2023 Brackeen v. Haaland decision, unemployment, housing, and veterans issues.
-
Oklahoma House Republicans want more tax cuts, while Senate Republican leadership has left them out of their budget after slashing the grocery tax last month.
-
The measure threatens to cut state funds to entities that “knowingly” serve Oklahomans without legal immigration status. And while it explicitly exempts healthcare providers, law enforcement and public schools, Hays failed to provide an example of any organization actively violating his measure that he would like to stop.
-
The governor’s office argues Attorney General Gentner Drummond “badly misapplied” the state’s dual office holding laws in a recent opinion that prompted resignations of two Stitt cabinet officials.
-
The opinion says state officials can only hold one elected or appointed position at a time.
-
In a matter of days, two of fourteen members of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s cabinet have resigned as a legal opinion published by Oklahoma’s attorney general brings their positions into question.
-
After long delays in considering any tax cut measures, the Senate passed an elimination of the state portion of the sales tax on Groceries. Next on the menu for the House is an income tax cut, but Senate leadership has no appetite for cutting more revenue streams.
-
Legislative leaders remain at an impasse on approving tax cuts after the latest certification of the state budget Thursday.
-
The Oklahoma State Board of Equalization certified lawmakers will have $11.1 billion in authorized funds for Fiscal Year 2025. That’s money they can allocate to state agencies and programs for that year.
-
Voters in 57 counties across Oklahoma went to the polls on Tuesday to consider school bonds, city councilors and a new state representative for West Edmond.
-
Millions of dollars of bonds for schools in the Tulsa area will be voted on this week. Bixby, Sand Springs and Jenks school districts are seeking upgrades to infrastructure and technology.