Quotes of the Day

“We made it OK to talk about revenue. It’s OK. We can talk about it now. We made it OK to talk about criminal justice reform. … That’s big. Some of those topics were taboo before this year.”

– Chris Benge, Chief of Staff to Governor Mary Fallin, speaking about the relatively new consensus among state policymakers that Oklahoma has a revenue problem (Source)

“This legislation promotes innovative ideas in de-stressing food deserts. It could be something like a mobile market food truck or renovate a grocery or corner store to allow for more space for healthy foods. … The money is really intended to help people get off the ground and help address the food desert issue.”

– Effie Craven,  state advocacy and public policy director for Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, on SB 506, which created the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a public-private program to eliminate the state’s food deserts by encouraging construction and expansion of grocery stores, corner stores, farmers markets and more (Source)

“I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be a taxpaying citizen if education was in the state then that it is today. We are not going to break the cycle of poverty if our people aren’t educated. Every time you increase tuition, higher education is shutting out another family that could be helped out of poverty.”

– East Central University President Katricia Pierson (Source)

“There is nowhere you can cut in DHS that doesn’t hurt someone. This is all we do. We serve vulnerable Oklahomans. When you have to look at reducing those services, unfortunately these are the only options we have.”

-Oklahoma Department of Human Services communications director Sheree Powell, speaking about a $33 million state funding shortfall for the agency that will force cuts to programs for Oklahomans most vulnerable children and seniors (Source).

“I don’t think it’s right. I think our kids are losing out on education. They’re trying to cram a five-day week into a four-day week.”

-Sandy Robertson, a grandmother of four in Newcastle,  speaking about Oklahoma the numerous Oklahoma school districts going to 4-day weeks or shortening the school year to cope with state budget cuts (Source).

“I’m sorry it’s come to this, but I will leave with my head held high. I poured my heart and soul into my teaching at Norman High School. I represented our state at the highest level. I tried to help find funding sources via SQ 779. I ran for state senate. I started a non-profit focused on teacher recruitment and retention that has spread nationwide. I’ve done everything I know how to do to try and make things better.” 

– 2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Shawn Sheehan, explaining why he and his wife are leaving their jobs teaching in Oklahoma to teach in Texas (Source)

“This is a real disservice to the people of Oklahoma to do it this way. This is not the way it should work.”

– Sen. David Holt (R-Oklahoma City), on the Oklahoma legislature’s last-minute budget assembly (Source)

“We put together what we could with 51-vote [revenue-raising] measures. These are horrible funding levels. We are massively underfunded in state government.”

-House Budget Chairwoman Leslie Osborn, introducing budget proposals in a midnight committee meeting last night (Source)

“Oil and gas leaders, it’s time to step up (again) and decide — are you a part of this community or are you here for the ‘shareholder value?’ You need to answer this carefully because if you want to treat Oklahoma and its citizens with a ‘it’s just business’ attitude — we can do that and you’ll be facing citizens demanding more than just 7 percent GPT.”

-Lanie James, a former oil and gas communications professional, urging energy companies to contribute to solving the state’s budget crisis through higher gross production taxes (Source)

“We would love to be able to just roll up a bus — and have paid leave — to come up here and advocate on behalf of their services. State employees to do this have to take their own annual leave and leave their work site. You very well can’t do that at a prison, and DHS is so understaffed like a lot of agencies. They can’t absorb the caseload. We’re advocating on behalf of restoring the 7 percent gross production tax. It’s part of the shared funding to restore core services, including education and the Department of Corrections.”

– Tom Dunning, communications director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association and a representative of Save our State, speaking about employees of the oil and gas industry’s lobbying efforts at the state capitol last week. (Source)