Quotes of the Day

Burdensome licensing rules make it more challenging for many Oklahomans, particularly lower-income earners, to find work and they can make services more expensive for consumers. The laws approved last year will help, but further action should be pursued.

– The Oklahoman Editorial Board calling on the Oklahoma legislature to expand on 2019’s occupational licensing reform. [The Oklahoman]

“(The plan) would slash and cap Medicaid, hurting the people Medicaid is supposed to help. This scheme would take the funds our state uses for SoonerCare, putting coverage for 500,000 children at risk.”

-U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Oklahoma City, speaking about a proposed new Medicaid initiative embraced by Gov. Stitt [The Oklahoman]

“You’re asking sheriffs in rural counties who operate these jails to take care of, essentially, individuals who have untreated mental illness while they’re in their jail with almost no resources.”

-Mike Brose, CEO of Mental Health Association Oklahoma [The Frontier] 

“Justice is best served when we can begin making something that was broken, whole. Justice is best served stopping a crime before it starts. Justice is best served when people feel they can seek help without fear of being punished themselves. And while in some cases justice is best served behind bars, sentences should be chosen based on data and best practices to ensure we’re not causing deeper harm.”

-Jacqueline Blocker, Community Engagement Director at Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform [CNHI]

“How bad do things have to get for us to use the money that we’ve got in the savings account for the needs of the people of Oklahoma?”

-Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, about Gov. Stitt’s plans to put more money into state savings, which now exceeds $1 billion [The Oklahoman]

“How bad do things have to get for us to use the money that we’ve got in the savings account for the needs of the people of Oklahoma?”

-Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, about Gov. Stitt’s plans to put more money into state savings, which now exceeds $1 billion [The Oklahoman] 

“Over the past 10 years, everything has gone up. What we’re running into with a lot of the retirees is the insurance cost. Their premiums on their insurance is so high and they’re having to pay their whole check for insurance.”

-State Rep. Matt Meredith, D-Tahlequah, speaking about cost of living adjustments for state retirees [Enid News & Eagle]

“(A) direct expansion has gone through the court process, while the governor’s plan has not. Oklahomans are tired of waiting on their government to do what is right. A straight expansion of Medicaid is the easiest way to increase access to health care in the state, and it has been proven to work in other states.”

-House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-OKC, in a joint statement about Gov. Stitt’s proposed health care plan [NonDoc]

“A big thing is a living wage. … We have a low cost of living in Oklahoma, but it’s really not because wages have not increased. We’re not setting up youth for success.”

-Lindsay Cates, Director of Emergency Services for Pivot, speaking about youth experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma [Big If True]

“I think what that shows is we can do as much as we can on the back end in terms of policy reforms and reforms within the Pardon and Parole Board … But if we don’t change what’s happening on the front end, we’ll never catch up.”

-Adam Luck, a member of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, speaking about Oklahoma’s incarceration rate, which is among the highest in the world [Tulsa World]