Quotes of the Day

“As governor, I would like nothing more than to adequately fund agencies. The constant budget crisis has put us in survival mode. I want us to thrive. We will thrive when we can adequately and consistently fund our core services. That will happen when we find sustainable and predictable revenue sources.”

– Gov. Mary Fallin’s statement on her veto of the budget bill passed by the state legislature.  Fallin vetoed all but five sections of the bill (Source)

“My response is until they have, they have not. Until there is a solution that has been voted on, agreed on, and voted on and communicated to the agency, they have not come up with a solution.”

–  Brett Coble, president of the board for the Oklahoma Association of Health Care Providers, defending state agency heads’ decisions to send letters of notification to Oklahomans who may lose services due to the state budget crisis despite lawmakers’ promises that they would provide the necessary funding. (Source)

“For 20,000 Oklahomans right now, every day is closer to the Dec. 1 deadline. … We have thousands of families in Oklahoma just scrambling, laying awake a night wondering, ‘Is my family member going to be OK next month?’”

– ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director Brady Henderson. The ACLU, Oklahoma Disability Law Center and Progressive Independence are threatening to sue unless the Department of Human Services rescinds notices that in-home programs serving Oklahomans with disabilities or who are elderly will be eliminated on December 1 if a budget agreement isn’t reached (Source)

“All this talk about gross production tax is just that — it’s gross. It’s gross. This bill is far from perfect, but you know what? I don’t think the people expect perfect. They want solutions, and they want them in a bipartisan manner.”

– Rep. Marcus McEntire (R-Duncan), debating in favor of the revenue bill HB 1054X. The bill ultimately failed to reach the 76 votes needed to pass (Source)

“I’m imploring Republican and Democratic House members to vote for this measure … so that we help fill our budget hole for the current fiscal year as well as put Oklahoma on a more stable budget path. … Let’s prove to Oklahomans that we can solve our difficult budget problem and move our state forward.”

– Gov. Mary Fallin, urging the House to pass the comprehensive budget plan, HB 1054, approved by the Senate earlier this week (Source). The House is scheduled to vote on the measure on Wednesday. Call your Representative and urge them to vote yes

“Members, we have been extremely frustrated for the five or six weeks that we’ve been in special session, and frustrated before months before that. We have been frustrated that we have not been able to put a vote on the board to be statesmen, to be leaders and to put this state on the right path. My hope is that when we do this, we will show the way to the chamber across the rotunda to do the same.”

– Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz (R-Altus), debating in favor of a comprehensive revenue package that the Oklahoma Senate passed by a 37-5 vote on Monday (Source)

“I took lawmakers at their word. It was their responsibility to come up with a plan to make sure that teachers got a pay raise and that schools were funded properly and they haven’t done it.”

– Amber England, Executive Director of Stand for Children Oklahoma, expressing frustration that the state legislature says a teacher pay raise is a priority but has not yet come up with a way to fund it (Source)

“It may be theoretical to them, but it’s every day to me. I hope that, you know, they can come to some kind of solution.”

– Suzanne Ryles, on receiving notification that the state plans to end the ADvantage Waiver that funds adult day services for her son due to the budget shortfall (Source)

“We sincerely regret this action. Should the state Legislature act to restore funding for the ADvantage Waiver before December 1, 2017, DHS will notify you as quickly as possible. ”

– A letter sent from the state Department of Human Services sent to 21,000 Oklahomans who are elderly or have disabilities and rely on the  ADvantage program to receive in-home care. The ADvantage waiver is one of a number of similar programs that will be terminated at the end of November unless a budget agreement is reached (Source)

“We’ve got to be bold and stop getting paralysis by analysis. (Otherwise,) the naysayers are correct — we’ll never get a pay raise. They’ll never be one because we’ll be afraid of our own shadow. Eventually, we’re going to need to prioritize how we spend state dollars.”

– House Majority Leader Jon Echols (R-Oklahoma City) speaking in favor of a proposed $1,000 teacher pay raise, which some education advocates said wasn’t enough to be meaningful (Source)