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.
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A new state fund for towns impacted by recent tornadoes will soon be available. Two measures passed Monday to help pay for natural disaster response.
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Despite progress toward reaching a finalized state budget, a rift remains between House and Senate members about whether to pass a state income tax cut. The House has a proposal and is ready to negotiate.
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Latino Oklahomans are raising the volume of their opposition to a recently passed law criminalizing people in the state without legal immigration status. This year, organizers of the annual Hispanic Day at the Capitol are shifting the day’s focus from celebrating the community to protesting House Bill 4156.
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State budget discussions in the Oklahoma legislature are lagging. As lawmakers discuss the line-item minutiae in their subcommittees and the big-picture priorities alongside the governor, disagreements remain on a handful of key issues and the end of session draws near.
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Oklahoma lawmakers are close to reaching a budget deal. It could be as soon as the weekend if you ask certain members of the House. But remaining funding disagreements and a shake-up in Senate fiscal leadership are expected to delay productive negotiations.
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Gov. Kevin Stitt’s signature on House Bill 4156 means Oklahoma joins the handful of other states trying to change the status quo of U.S. immigration enforcement.
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Oklahoma lawmakers have a message for people affected by the tornados that roared through Oklahoma this weekend: help is on the way.
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An outbreak of more than a dozen tornadoes left at least four people dead, razed buildings and left thousands without power in Central Oklahoma.
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Rep. Mauree Turner has been censured by colleagues and carried the stress of being in a legislature that passes laws restricting trans rights.
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As a crisis continues on the U.S. Southern Border, Oklahoma lawmakers are among counterparts from about a dozen states taking things into their own hands. Their efforts generated backlash from the Latino immigrant community.