Quotes of the Day

“Eliminating the grocery tax will be good for the clients we serve. But we are concerned that the revenue needs to be replaced with something.”

– Effie Craven,  state advocacy and public policy director at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, on Gov. Fallin’s proposal in her State of the State to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries. The measure would save Oklahoma families hundreds of dollars, but would cost the state $234.7 million per year (Source). Our statement on the Governor’s speech is available here. 

“I didn’t hear about drug court until I got to prison. And a lot of fellows was asking me, ‘Why [didn’t they] send you to drug court? Why are you here?’ It was crazy.”

-Autrey Lake, an Oklahoma man who was sentenced to five years in prison for having half a pill of ecstasy (Source)

“Oklahoma will continue to struggle if we don’t fix the structural deficits of our budget. Let’s focus on the reality of our state budget deficit. To start, for decades, we have attempted to balance our budget for too long with the use of one-time resources. We cannot afford to pass another budget using a large amount of non-recurring revenue.”

-Governor Mary Fallin, calling for the Legislature to pass new recurring revenues in her State of the State address (Source). Read our statement on the Governor’s speech here.

“There should be a comprehensive plan in place that addresses pay for working professionals in the state. (This) shouldn’t be a political football that’s kicked around. (Employees) may be 10 years without a raise simply because their agency is too large. It would just be a huge blow to see people forgotten time and time again.”

-Oklahoma Department of Human Services employee Cindy Shewmake, speaking about the need to increase pay for state workers, who make 23.5 percent less on average than comparable positions elsewhere (Source).

“We can’t afford to keep doing the things we’ve been doing in this state.”

– Gov. Mary Fallin, explaining why she’ll announce a major overhaul of the state’s tax system (Source)

“It costs about $23,000 per year to house an inmate with SMI, severe mental illness. That’s about $4,000 per year more than other inmates. But it costs only $5,000 per year to treat someone with a brain disease, a few hundred dollars more if they’re in an intensive program through a drug court or mental health court. The first problem is that the alternative court systems are full; new people get in only when someone graduates. And if there’s no opening, they go from being a client of White’s to an inmate of Allbaugh’s at four- to five-times the price, and with a much less desirable outcome. Prisons just don’t make good hospitals.”

– Ted Streuli, editor of the Journal Record, arguing the legislature should invest in treatment for addiction and mental illness rather than incarceration (Source)

“The ink is barely even dry on the votes that Oklahomans cast in November. I think it would be indefensible for the Legislature to usurp the voters and go against the work that Oklahomans have done.”

– Former state House Speaker Kris Steele, executive director of The Education and Employment Ministry, on legislation filed to significantly alter language in SQs 780 and 781, which reclassified some drug crimes and reinvested savings from doing so in prevention and were approved by Oklahoma voters in November (Source). OK Policy supported both measures. 

“I have been able to return to work, pay taxes, vote and provide myself with enough leftover to visit my family once or twice a year. I have the freedom to afford to drive my car, go places, socialize and live life. As you can see, I’m not dead.”

-Terry St. Germain, an Oklahoma resident who credits mental health care provided by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for helping her treat her depression. The agency requested a $35 million increase in funding this year to maintain its current level of services (Source)

“This executive action has some unintended consequences that were not well thought out. I encourage the president’s staff to evaluate American policy with an eye on both security and compassion for the refugees fleeing the terrors of war and persecution.”

-U.S. Senator James Lankford, in a statement on the Trump administration’s order to temporarily ban immigrants from coming to the United States (Source).

“The No. 1 concern with the budget is making sure we do not erode the infrastructure and progress we’ve made in the state. I have grave concerns about that.”

– Oklahoma Secretary of Health Terry Cline, speaking at a Tulsa Regional Chamber panel discussion on health care and the upcoming legislative session (Source)