Quotes of the Day

“My meeting the women, hearing their stories about how painful it is, how degrading it is, how they would have a male guard in the room while they are exposed—I just think these women are entitled to some decency and some privacy while they’re delivering a child, and also for the safety of the baby the doctor needs to be able to have these women push without being chained to anything and having these obstructions.”

-Rep. Regina Goodwin, who sponsored a law that was passed this year to ban the practice of shackling pregnant women in labor while in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections [Rewire]

“Full employment doesn’t necessarily mean people can provide everything they need. A ton of jobs here pay $10 or $11 an hour. Think about supporting a family on that — the math doesn’t work.”

-Eileen Bradshaw, executive director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, explaining why many working Oklahomans still need help getting enough food for their families [Tulsa World]

“The Department of Health’s General Counsel advised the board members during the July 10th meeting that these two amendments to the draft rules that we submitted for the Board’s consideration likely exceeded the scope of their authority. In light of this conflict, I would appreciate the advice and counsel of your office on how best to proceed with the defense of this action.”

-Tom Bates, Interim Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Health, writing to Attorney General Mike Hunter about a lawsuit over the Department’s newly approved medical marijuana rules [OAG.OK.GOV]

“Even if work requirements are accepted by the courts as beneficial for one’s health, when the statutory language is paired with Congress’ intent for the Medicaid program, such a prerequisite to receive medical assistance benefits runs directly counter to the congressional intent of providing affordable access to care for the poor. I would be hard-pressed to believe that work requirements for Oklahomans on SoonerCare have much of a future, especially as long as Oklahoma refuses to expand Medicaid.”

-Carter Kimble, director of health policy for the Oklahoma State University/A&M Colleges Board of Regents [Journal Record]

“The parents just couldn’t afford their co-payments so they could bring their kids. They wanted to, but they just couldn’t afford it.”

-Oklahoma daycare owner Kent Lynn, who said increased regulation and decreased state funding have made it hard for daycares to serve low-income families at a price they can pay. He said he had to close a center this year due to low attendance. [NewsOn6]

“This would be a radical new change in how health care for low-income Oklahomans is administered. We know, if someone’s getting treatment for say bipolar disorder or for asthma and, then, if they can’t fill a prescription, that really affects their ability to parent, to find work.”

-Carly Putnam, Policy Director for Oklahoma Policy Institute, speaking about a proposal to take health care from low-income Oklahomans who don’t report working enough hours every month [KFOR]

“Anything would go a long way for a lot of high school students, because that’s one of the main complaints all of them have when they get out. They’re like, ‘Yeah, I know mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but how do I file my taxes?’”

-Ada High senior Coleman Prince, who said he thought students would benefit from a personal-finance class [Ada News]

“You need the kids to be able to get to school, and you need them to be in a school building that is not 105 degrees, and you need to be able to identify if a kid is not able to hear the teacher. These are generally considered worthy expenditures.”

-Michael Leachman, senior director of state fiscal research for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, speaking about why school funding needs go beyond paying for teachers and direct instruction [Oklahoma Watch]

“Today, some district attorneys and their allies are trying to discredit the progress made by saying there are no savings to reinvest in alternatives and treatment. The money is there, but it is unfortunately being spent on continuing to incarcerate people who battle addiction. As a former speaker of the Oklahoma House, I can say with certainty that a law isn’t much of a law if the people tasked with implementing it don’t believe in it. As long as prosecutors keep sending people to prison for drug possession, reinvestments in treatment that voters demanded won’t happen.”

-Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform chairman Kris Steele, writing about how district attorneys in Oklahoma have continued to pursue the harshest possible sentences they can for drug possession, against the will of the voters and at huge taxpayer expense [NewsOK]

“People didn’t become social workers to sit behind computers all day. I don’t believe we can do the best of our jobs with the cuts they’ve made.”

-Gail DeLashaw, a family-support worker with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, who can no longer do face-to-face meetings with families since she her case load has grown from 500 to 600 clients to 1,200 [The Nation]