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Save the Date! HEROES BALL set for July 27!
This is OICA’s premier annual event to recognize the state's “Heroes for Children,” exemplary advocates for their work on behalf of Oklahoma’s youth. It is our most visible event, with press coverage and hundreds of engaged guests, from civic and political leaders to child advocates, to business leaders involved in their communities. Join us on Saturday, July 27 at the First Americans Museum for this gala event! For sponsorship, ticket purchases, and more information, click the link below!
Get your tickets, become a sponsor, or get more information about the 2024 heroes ball!
Nominations are open for the Anne Roberts People's Choice Awards For Child Advocacy!
Nominations are now open for the Anne Roberts People's Choice Awards for Child Advocacy, which will be announced at this year's Heroes Ball.
Click the button below to nominate a deserving child advocate individual and/or organizations for this prestigious award that is nominated by and voted on by Oklahomans who care about the state's youngest residents. Make your nominations, and in a few weeks begin voting, then, join us on July 27 for the Heroes Ball and watch your advocate take home the trophy!
Mila O'Brien of Enid to serve second term as Oklahoma's Fifth Kid Governor®
Kid Governor® is a national award-winning civics program for 5th graders created by the Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) in 2015. Timed to coincide with Election Day in November, the program offers schools the opportunity to enter one student candidate into a statewide election that other 5th graders vote in. Classes can vote in the election, nominate a classmate to run for office, or both! Toolkits of in-class lessons guide teachers and students through the program.
Mila O’Brien of Enid’s Prairie View Elementary School was elected Kid Governor in the 2022 election and was inaugurated on Feb. 6, 2023 at a ceremony in the Oklahoma State Capitol. Among those in attendance were former Oklahoma Govs. George Nigh, Frank Keating, and David Walters. Mila will serve a second term as Kid Governor as the program transitions to an extracurricular activity.
Our special comic books are available for purchase for $4 each and $4 for shipping for up to 10 books. For each comic book you purchase, an Oklahoma 5th Grader will also receive a copy of the comic book.
For more information on Oklahoma’s Kid Governor program, go to
http://ok.kidgovernor.org/
Recent News and Articles
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) recently held our annual Tulsa event, and it was a ringing success. Our team organized a viewing of a trailer for a new documentary being produced called “Broken” which examines the state child welfare system in Massachusetts. Through the reporting of Brooke Lewitas, and the production work of Bill Lichtenstein, this deep dive into concerns impacting children in the system and with what is happening to their families, both biological and foster; it is a shocking reminder of the need for improved services for young people. Oklahoma had a similar history with this going back to statehood, with the change eventually brought about by a lawsuit against the state in the early 1980s. The “Terry D Lawsuit” was named for the first teenage plaintiff of seven to sign on to the suit brought by Legal Aid of Western Oklahoma and the lead attorney, Steven Novick. The legal action, along with the coverage of the conditions faced by children, motivated advocates to demand changes to better take care of these youth. Mr. Lichtenstein was one of the producers from the ABC Television news magazine “20/20” who worked on the nearly year-long investigation into Lloyd Rader, the Department of Human Services Director of that time. The coverage showed what Rader’s agency was doing, often harming children far worse than the conditions they faced before being taken into custody. We watched this segment, the first time it has been shown in 40 years. Mr. Lichtenstein collaborated with local reporters from KOCO-TV in the Oklahoma City media market that delivered continuous local coverage, and the newspaper, The Muskogee Phoenix, which ran multiple investigative stories into the system. Through the lawsuit, the media attention and the advocates working for change, political pressure was finally enough to see change occur. Over that time, the conditions which children face have dramatically improved, to the point that the number of children entering foster care has been cut in half, and the youth who in the care of the Office of Juvenile Affairs are now receiving true rehabilitation and educational services. Oklahoma is practicing hope-centered and trauma-informed work which provides wraparound services for the children and their families. We heard as much from the panel of experts who discussed the positive work happening, including the work done by the Ending the Need for Group Placement (ENGP) effort which is seeking improvements in services offered. During the event, OICA honored several Oklahomans who have contributed to the improvements we see. Our Jari Askins Justice for Children award was presented to Judge Michael Flanagan for chairing the Supreme Court program reviewing needed changes to the system. Our Burnes/Lichtenstein Award for Excellence in Journalism was presented to Terri Watkins, Bill Gallagher, Carlton Sherwood, and John Hanchette for their work in covering the “Terry D” lawsuit. Our CEO’s Service Award was given to George Krumme for support of our educational programs offered to students. Each of these individuals has played a significant role in seeing better for Oklahomans. Much is still needed though. The Oklahoma Legislature must step up in the final days of the regular session, which must end by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 31, and fund state services and pass the programs which will create better opportunities for children. At the top of that list is providing better childcare services for Oklahomans. There is legislation which will provide incentives for employers to assist with support, and the funding is needed to kickstart daycares into reopening across the state. Please call your lawmakers and ask them to provide these necessary funds and policy change.
The Oklahoma Legislature is approaching the constitutionally binding end of the annual session which must occur by 5 p.m. on the final Friday of May. Each year, lawmakers come to the State Capitol in Oklahoma City to debate policy ideas for improving conditions for certain Oklahomans, and to pass an annual budget to keep state government operating. In the work done by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA), much of our mission is driven to provide greater opportunities for young people often receiving delivery of services by the state. That can be for children in foster care, those who are in the care of the Office of Juvenile Affairs, or the hundreds of thousands of children who receive subsidized health insurance or delivery of meal services, or care for those who are facing long term care needs for the developmentally disabled. Another category is the accessibility of services for childcare support for working families. Our state poverty rates show that more than one-fifth of Oklahoma’s children, about 200,000 kids, come from families who suffer intense poverty. Those guardians struggle with decisions on whether to feed their family, pay monthly bills, or cover medical costs. Some families must even decide if they can keep their low-wage job and pay for childcare, or if they must make the tough decision to quit their job to stay home with the children as childcare costs more than most low-wage jobs pay. As reported last month by the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness (OPSR), the average price for infant care for one year at a childcare center in Oklahoma County is $11,080. That is a steep price considering the median household income in the county is $58,239. While the price drops slightly for services in the rural areas, unfortunately so does the income ratio for Oklahomans, making it more difficult to afford childcare. Additionally, there is a critical shortage of available childcare services. In their 2023 childcare summary, OPSR found that 55% of Oklahomans live in a “childcare desert,” with either no providers within their zip code or too few available slots. The problem is even worse in rural areas, where 68% of Oklahomans have no access to childcare. There are some ideas being considered which will hopefully make it across the finish line before the Legislature adjourns for the year. One of the best options is House Bill 4147 by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa and Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond. A wide array of organizations, ranging from us at OICA to The State Chamber, have been working to raise awareness about the needs addressed by this legislation. The bill would incentivize businesses to share in the cost of childcare for their employees by providing a tax credit to businesses which provide employees with money to help pay for and find childcare or operate their own childcare service for employees. This concept also helps businesses with employee retention so they can keep qualified, trained employees who they have already spent time and money on for training. This is the week for you to contact lawmakers to help push this and other good ideas across the finish line. Please go to https://oica.org under “Advocacy” to find your state senator and representative. Then call and ask them to support childcare services and to adequately fund the services in this budget cycle. Finally, a sad note this week. We at OICA just learned of the passing of Ray Potts. The Potts family was our lifetime achievement in child advocacy award recipient last year. Join us in expressing our deepest sympathy to Pat Potts and their entire family.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Each summer, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) holds its annual Heroes Ball to celebrate champions for children. Among the awards presented are two chosen by the people: The Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards for Child Advocacy. The award is named in honor of Anne Roberts, OICA’s longest serving CEO; it recognizes outstanding service to Oklahoma’s children by an individual and an organization, as nominated and voting on by the people. The process begins with nominations, which are open to the public. Following the nomination period, which runs from now through May 31, the OICA Board of Directors narrows the list a select few to put forward for an online public vote by Oklahomans. To nominate either an individual or an organization, go to https://oica.org and click on “Awards” and choose “Nominate for Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards.” You can also go directly to https://qrco.de/ARPCA . “This award is fully in the hands of those interested in child advocacy in the state of Oklahoma,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “The list of previous winners reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Oklahoma Child Advocates.” Previous winners of the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Organizational Award are: 2017 – Whiz Kids Oklahoma 2018 – Peppers Ranch 2019 – Oklahoma United Methodist Circle of Care 2020 – Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma 2021 – SoonerStart 2022 – Fostering Connections 2023 – Sara’s Project Those individuals who have won the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Individual Award are: 2017 – Brenda Lene’ 2018 – Cody Inman 2019 – Judy Payne 2020 – Ryan Abernathy 2021 – Melissa Ahlgrim 2022 – Amber Cuyler 2023 - Alethea Satterwhite After the nominations close at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 31, finalists will be announced in early June and online voting will begin on OICA’s website. Those in attendance at OICA’s Heroes Ball on Saturday, July 27 will receive a final paper ballot to help finish off the voting. Winners will be announced at the Heroes Ball, held this year at the First Americans Museum. Tickets to the Heroes Ball are on sale and can be purchased at https://event.gives/heroesball2024 .
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) has been working on the issue of preventing the use of corporal punishment on special needs children in our state’s schools. When last surveyed a few years ago, about 10 percent, or roughly 60, Oklahoma public schools still admit to using corporal punishment, even on those students with the most severe of disabilities. Oklahoma law allows “hitting, slapping, paddling, or any other means of inflicting physical pain” as the definition of corporal punishment by school employees and waivers are often provided to parents to sign prior to each school year to allow the school to use this as a means of discipline. The language as presented two weeks ago and adopted by the Oklahoma Senate through their amendments has narrowed the scope of the students who would fall under the exemptions for corporal punishment. Originally, the language would have included more children, but the language has been narrowed beyond the original Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) program definitions. The newer version will remove the broader Section 504 Plan students who would have qualified before, a much broader and easer to attain classification. Some have asked why this should be narrowed, and the simple answer is to get enough legislative votes to see the bill pass and help as many students as possible. Many lawmakers are still opposed to the bill and feel that parents should be able to delegate this form of punishment to government employees. Research shows that children with disabilities are more than 50 percent more likely to receive corporal punishment than their nondisabled peers in many southern states. Above that, many schools do not have established standards for implementation of corporal punishment, i.e., how many swats may be given, the strength used to administer the punishment, and the type of instrument used to deliver the paddling. Sometimes, the parents or another witness are not present when this is administered. Under the current legislation being presented, nothing will prevent the parent or guardian from coming to the school and doing this themselves; it simply prevents a school employee from doing so. Therefore, the argument of “parents’ rights” is not taken from those who still feel this is justifiable discipline, even for those with the most severe of cognitive disabilities. I know with some the scriptural debate will occur regarding this bill, but I wish to provide context to the conversation regarding “the rod and the staff” when it comes to theology. Shepherds used these instruments to guide sheep, not to strike them. This is a lazy misconception used by some to somehow justify inflicting physical pain. Further, Ephesians 6:4 NLT says “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.” OICA certainly supports appropriate discipline, but this certainly should not be the deliberate infliction of physical pain or any other physical force on these children, some of whom might not be able to comprehend why they are being hurt. Alternatives include setting limits, such as setting limits with positive outcomes for good behavior; consequences, such as losing privileged time at recess to spend with someone who shares why the behavior was inappropriate; or timeouts to reflect on the unsuitable conduct. All of these are proven to be more effective. Thank you to those of you who are already supporting this measure, and please reach out to state representatives about your thoughts regarding this legislation. You can read the current version and a fact sheet explaining in detail why this bill is needed at https://www.oica.org under the “Advocacy” tab.
This past weekend had moments of somber reflection for many Oklahomans as our state once again endured tornadoes impacting thousands. My deepest condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones over the weekend, to the persons injured, and to the communities and individuals who sustained horrific levels of destruction. Among those who died was a family member of a friend, a 4-month-old due to injuries sustained, and a truck driver who was on Interstate 35 perished. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management shared that of the 100 injuries reported to hospitals across the state due to the storms, 25 people were cut or pierced, 30 were falls, 16 were either struck by debris or fell against it, 17 were transportation-related injuries, and 12 other injuries were not specified. Each time a tornado strikes Oklahoma, memories of the efforts exerted to improve access to shelters statewide come to my mind. In 2011, a tornado struck part of my legislative district in Chickasha, killing Laron Short as a mobile home crushed her. In 2013, the devastation which struck the community of Moore killed 25 Oklahomans, including seven grade school-aged children when their school was hit. As a lawmaker, I worked with individuals to expedite the state funding to help with immediate repairs as we were close to the end of the legislative session and those funds would need to be allocated officially by the Legislature. Otherwise, it would have been the following February before resources were provided for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) matching dollars. Fortunately, all involved, Republicans and Democrats, agreed this was essential. My friend Mark Nestlen and I met with the families of the seven children and others affected to look for solutions. We developed a plan to take a bill previously filed by a Republican lawmaker and modify it to provide a $500 million bond issue to allocate to school districts to provide state matching funds to add storm shelter space and provide for school resource officers for schools to help provide protection from both storms and active shooter situations. That bill did not receive a hearing, while another bill was moved forward that would have allowed school districts to go beyond their local bonding limits to build shelters, but anti-tax advocates worked against that measure, stopping it in the process. Not much progress has been made in the decade since to provide state-supported shelter space for individuals or communities. Thanks goes to Rep. Kevin Wallace for funding safety construction to protect from shooters last session which may include space to protect from tornadoes, and I encourage schools to pursue this for shelter purposes. Many school districts did include shelters in newer construction, including my hometown of Rush Springs, in which people sought safety on Saturday night as a tornado touched down close to our community. I certainly encourage all communities to include this. While it is again late in the session, I encourage lawmakers and Governor Stitt to expedite the funds this session to help communities rebuild. It is vital to provide money to match federal dollars so that there is no delay. Otherwise, the devastated communities will solely bear the costs until 2025 or later. I also ask that lawmakers look to options which might help individuals, schools, and communities construct shelter space through either a tax rebate or other options, and that the state look to provide shelter space at official visitor centers and other locations along highways so those on the roads can find safety. Otherwise, we will repeat this tragic tale each time a deadly tornado strikes Oklahoma.
As of March 2024, 502,221 Oklahoma children were enrolled in SoonerCare, just over half the estimated number of children living in the state. Additionally, the state estimates that about seven percent, or 70,000 Oklahoma children, are not enrolled in insurance, and more than half of those, or about 35,000, would likely qualify for SoonerCare coverage. To improve delivery of services, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) on April 1 unveiled a new service program for those on SoonerCare on April 1 called SoonerSelect, 2024. SoonerCare, Oklahoma’s Medicaid program, provides health care for many Oklahomans, including children under the age of 19, pregnant women, and others in special categories. Under SoonerSelect, most SoonerCare members will receive their health care coverage in a new way – through health and dental plans. A “health or dental plan” is an organization selected by the state which provides health care services through a network (group) of doctors, dentists, pharmacists, mental health professionals and other service providers. Some plans even provide extra services like programs to help you quit smoking or building a health plan. Under this new model, health and dental plans have a provider network. In most cases, eligible families must receive care from a provider in their plan’s provider network, such as a primary care provider or a primary care dentist. Those who are eligible can choose from three health plans: Aetna Better Health of Oklahoma, Humana Healthy Horizons of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma Complete Health. Eligible Oklahomans can pick between two dental plans: DentaQuest or LIBERTY Dental. Both provide medically necessary cleanings, preventive and restorative care, and provide medically necessary orthodontic services for Oklahomans under 21. If you are a federally recognized tribal member or qualify for services through Indian Health Service, you may decide to join a plan or remain on your current SoonerCare plan. There is also a Children’s Specialty Program that serves children involved in the juvenile justice system, which includes children in foster care and children receiving adoption assistance. Oklahoma Complete Health serves these members. The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) is proud to be working with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma (LASO) to raise awareness about access to children’s health insurance in Oklahoma, and OICA is excited about these new opportunities. Our collaborative work encourages families who qualify to sign their children up for SoonerCare. This grant-funded program provides resources for us to promote this initiative directly in 20 rural counties across our state: Alfalfa, Blaine, Bryan, Carter, Garfield, Garvin, Grant, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, LeFlore, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Seminole, Sequoyah, and Wagoner. We have distributed brochures to each public school and day care in those counties, totaling more than 110,000 pamphlets to provide enrollment information to families. The effort to get the word out is working. Information provided by OHCA shows that 81,788 children were newly enrolled statewide from February 2023 to February 2024. OICA is pleased to be a part of this campaign to see more children receive health coverage. Parameters to qualify are based on size of household and monthly income/annual income. Further information is at https://oklahoma.gov/ohca/individuals/mysoonercare/apply-for-soonercare-online/eligibility/income-guidelines.html If you are interested in learning more, or if you think you might qualify, please go to myOKplan.org or call 1 (833) 465-7526 to visit with a navigator who will assist you with verifying information and help with filling out the application. Please recommend this program to families with children who you know as they might not be aware of this benefit. Together, we can help these young people get insurance and lead them to healthier lives.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joe Dorman, CEO – Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy Telephone: (405) 833-1117 Email: jdorman@oica.org Jay Paul Gumm, Director of Policy & Communications Telephone: (405) 600-0290 Email: jpgumm@oica.org OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) has finalized its 2024 Children’s Legislative Agenda for consideration by the state’s lawmakers. Approved by the OICA Board of Directors this week, the agenda outlines the organization’s goals and presents lawmakers with a roadmap to make Oklahoma an even better state for its children. “Advocates from across the state came together during our annual Fall Forum to discuss a wide range of issues relating to children,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “While this is an ambitious agenda, we believe each component of it is critical to improving the lives of our most important resource.” From the input from child advocates, the OICA Board of Directors considered the suggestions and coalesced them into recommendations divided into four specific categories: Child Abuse Prevention & Child Safety Measures; Access to Children’s Support Programs; Child Trafficking, Counseling, Mental Health, and Learning Loss; and, Deprived and Justice Involved Youth. A focus of the Children’s Legislative Agenda this year is implementation of the recommendations made by Governor Stitt’s Child Welfare Task Force (CWTF), especially as the recommendations relate “directly to the improvement of quality of life for those children burdened by poverty, family substance abuse, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).” OICA encourages lawmakers to continue funding of one of the organization’s legislative victories last year, the “Double Up Oklahoma” program, which matches the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars spent at participating farmers markets and grocery stores to promote healthy food choices among lower-income households and families. The organization reiterated its support for passage and funding of the Family Representation and Advocacy Act. That measure would help ensure that “children and indigent parents, legal guardians and, Indian custodians in deprived child actions brought by the state” have access to high quality legal representation. The “Handle with Care” concept to “boost trauma-informed training for those who might come in contact with children who have or are enduring adverse childhood events (ACEs), to ensure those children who have endured trauma are, indeed, handled with care” also was supported by advocates in the Children’s Legislative Agenda. Advocates expressed support for social media safety education, to help reduce the incidents of human trafficking, increasing the number of school counselors and mental health professionals across the state, and opposition to weaking the state’s child labor laws. In addition, advocates asserted that the legal system is the entity in which children in the most dire situations should be able to find the protection they deserve. For those who are deprived, abused, or justice-involved, the judiciary is where critical decisions are made; as such, lawmakers and advocates have special responsibilities to ensure the regulatory and statutory structure is such that children’s best interests are paramount in the decisions being made. “This represents only a portion of the recommendations made by advocates and our Board of Directors,” Dorman related. “The entire agenda is available to the public on our website, located at https://oica.org/ . Also, the agenda will be shared with lawmakers in hopes many of these proposals are included in bills for 2024, and that those already under consideration are passed into law.” Release of the annual Children’s Legislative Agenda is the final action the organization takes each year in preparation for the next. This year’s agenda is special as it is the last event of OICA during its 40th Anniversary year. OICA celebrated four decades since child advocates established the organization to be an independent watchdog on state government in the aftermath of the child welfare scandal brought to light in the Gannett report, “Oklahoma Shame.” That report can also be found on OICA’s website. To kick off the new year, OICA will host its Legislative Learning Lab on Jan. 31, Feb 1, 2, and 5. The organization’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol will be March 12. For the latest information on these events, refer to the OICA website. -30-
FOR THE CHILDREN by Joe Dorman, OICA CEO
FOR THE CHILDREN by Joe Dorman, OICA CEO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joe Dorman, CEO – Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy Telephone: (405) 833-1117 Email: jdorman@oica.org Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, Chair Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women Telephone: (405) 516-9686 Email: brenda@jones.pr OKLAHOMA CITY – Members of the Oklahoma Senate’s Committee on Education spent Tuesday morning hearing from a series of subject-matter experts as lawmakers examine ways to end human trafficking in the state. The study on “School Human Trafficking Education and Awareness,” proposed by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA), was requested by Sen. Darrell Weaver, a Republican from Moore. In addition, Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, state chair of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women; Kristin Weis, CEO of The Demand Project in Jenks; and Whitney Anderson, executive director of The Dragonfly Home in Oklahoma City presented at the lawmakers’ study. Among the recommendations made to lawmakers by the presenters included: Expansion of a stop human trafficking education initiative to high schools and middles schools. Coordination with the state Education Department to incorporate a curriculum to allow students to recognize human trafficking. Train educators annually to recognize signs of human trafficking. Provide the free Human Trafficking Response Guide for School Resource Officers by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Allocate more dollars into recovery organizations to help victims of human trafficking escape the clutches of those who are selling them. Senator Weaver is uniquely qualified to take on the issue as the former director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control (OBN). While in that position, he asked the Legislature for authority to include human trafficking in the agency’s mission. “We found that we had the resources that allowed OBN to be particularly effective in the fight,” he said. “We knew the challenges with dealing with human victims was different than confiscating drugs and locking it up. Any effective enforcement of human trafficking requires a focus on recovery for those who have been victimized such horrors.” Weaver told his colleagues about a fact-finding trip he and his team made to join the Las Vegas, Nevada police in their efforts to stop trafficking. The Las Vegas Police Department, Weaver related, handles more human trafficking cases than any local law enforcement agency in the nation. “After only a couple days, I had seen enough tragedy and returned committed to everything possible to end this modern-day slavery,” Weaver said. Barwick noted the commission is working with several state entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like OICA to find both policy solutions for the human trafficking and help those victimized by the crime. “Education at an early age is the key to stopping human trafficking,” she said, describing five “Community Conversation” programs presented around the state on how to recognize trafficking, with four more set for the fall and spring school semesters. She also detailed the vulnerabilities that attract traffickers to potential victims. Those include runaways, those struggling with mental health and isolation issues, and young people who use social media. Indicators that someone has fallen prey to a trafficker include those who have disconnected from families, friends, or organizations; those who have stopped attending school; and those with a sudden change in friends, behaviors, attitudes, and groups. Whitney Anderson of The Dragonfly Home said that many victims of human trafficking often have legal charges against them. “They will need quality legal representation to ensure law enforcement and the courts realize that they are victims, not the perpetrators who are controlling them.” During his presentation, OICA CEO Joe Dorman shared statistics on the incidence of reported human trafficking in the state of Oklahoma. “There are 2,059 victims identified in 887 cases reported to the Human Trafficking Hotline,” he said. It was pointed out that several hotlines operated by different organizations also receive calls not included in those numbers. “We know there are so many more cases that have either gone unreported or reported though other means,” Dorman said. “We know who those are most at risk, we know how they are being coerced and what they are being forced to do, and we know it will take collaboration between government and organizations like ours to be successful in the fight against human trafficking.” Noting that trafficking exists because it is lucrative for the trafficker, Dorman asserted that policymakers should look for ways to make it unprofitable. “Human trafficking is just a pretty name for an ancient evil: slavery. We must strengthen the social safety net for those suffering from poverty, drug abuse, unstable living conditions, and sexual or domestic abuse. That will reduce the supply of potential victims to be exploited by traffickers.” “I am so grateful for the experts who came before the study,” Weaver said. “They laid out a clear and convincing vision of what it will take to effectively continue the fight against human trafficking. Further, I appreciate my colleagues for their thoughtful consideration of the presentations. Working together, I have great confidence we in Oklahoma can take the lead in the worldwide battle against this modern-day slavery.”