Quotes of the Day

“There is not a public consensus to expand options in this industry, [and] passage of SB 1314 would be unlikely. I have appreciated the feedback.”

-Sen. David Holt, in a post on Twitter explaining why he withdrew his bill that would have created a new type of dangerous high-cost loan (Source)

“We are to bring good news to the poor.  Payday lending is not good news to the poor.  It is the worst news possible.”

-Pastor Mitch Randall of New Haven Church in Norman, on his opposition to SB 1314, which would create a new type of short-term, high interest loan in Oklahoma (Source)

“When we see FedEx, we just crawl under our desk. But we are going to get it all done.”

-Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Patty Bryant, who said new voter registrations have increased fivefold in advance of the March 1 Presidential primary and April 5 sheriff election and Vision sales tax package (Source)

“Last year, when I met people at the community center, they would ask what’s going on at the Capitol. Now I get a dozen phone calls or face-to-face conversations where people are asking about specific legislation, like what’s an education savings account.”

– Alex Public Schools Superintendent Jason James on growing outcry from parents and communities concerned with how the state’s budget crisis will impact their schools and school districts (Source) 

“The bill that is being considered is incredibly destructive. This is not what we need right now. We have such a shortage in Oklahoma that we literally cannot find a third grade teacher, a second grade teacher, a kindergarten teacher.”

-Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist, voicing her opposition to an education savings accounts bill that passed committee Monday (Source)

“Out of the $1.3 billion budget shortfall, $100 million of that is not a big hit.”

-Governor Mary Fallin, dismissing calls to reverse the latest tax cut, which is estimated to cost the state $120 million in FY 2017 (Source)

“Many fees are imposed on people convicted even of minor offenses. The myriad fees imposed by every actor in the local justice system (jail bed fees, court fines, court costs, drug and mental health courts, district attorney probation, community supervision, etc.) keep people mired in a cycle of debt and poverty.”

-Vera Institute of Justice report on overcrowding at the Oklahoma County jail, which opened in 1991 with an inmate capacity of 1,200 but housed 2,651 people in November 2015 (Source)

“My granddad says this: There’s no such thing as a spare Oklahoman. No such thing. He says that our communities are at their best and at their strongest when everyone’s able to contribute to the greater good.”

-Former House Speaker Kris Steele, calling for Oklahoma to take a smarter approach to criminal justice sentencing and rehabilitation that allows ex-inmates to participate in the workforce and rebuild their lives (Source)

“While we are contributing more [to the state], it might not seem like it because state tax cuts offset those dollars. As more tribal gaming and car tag dollars go into state coffers, less is invested at the state level. In essence, tribes help fill the gap created by tax cuts. As tribal governments, it’s disappointing to see our investments in education eroded by the state budget process as we are trying to build a better future within our communities.”

– Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker (Source)

“The truly bottom of the barrel oil prices that started in November are just now hitting collections and will continue doing so for the next several months. All tax categories are feeling the pain.”

-Preston Doerflinger, director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, on falling state tax revenues. January’s collections were 17.2 percent below estimates (Source)