OKAgPolicy Today is a morning email containing the day’s top agriculture and policy headlines. The inclusion of a particular story does not equal an endorsement. Subscribe to the email here.
TOP HEADLINES
Senate Dems may block water bill over drought language:
A bipartisan water bill may be in danger in the Senate because of the last-minute inclusion of controversial California drought language. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, said there’s “probably” enough opposition in his party to block the water legislation from moving forward in the upper chamber [The Hill].
Schulz announces Senate committee chair, vice-chair appointments:
Senate President Pro Tempore-Designate Mike Schulz on Tuesday announced his appointments of chairs and vice-chairs of Senate standing committees and appropriations subcommittees for the 56th Legislature [The Okie].
FEDERAL
GOP leaders reveal stopgap spending bill:
GOP leaders announced a deal Tuesday to keep the government funded for nearly six months, with a slight boost to defense spending and bipartisan health programs. The 70-page stopgap spending bill runs through April 28, allowing the incoming Donald Trump administration to take an active role in negotiations this spring [The Hill].
How does Trump’s pledge to destroy NAFTA affect agriculture?:
NAFTA is a complex deal and the effects of both instituting it and, potentially, withdrawing from it have all kinds of effects that nobody really understands. But it certainly affects agriculture a great deal, so let’s take a look at what NAFTA is and how a withdrawal might affect the farmers of North America [Modern Farmer].
You could soon pay more money for worse food. Thanks, Donald Trump:
Trump’s deportation promises, if fulfilled, would ripple far beyond the lives of illegal immigrants. Deportations would affect vast swaths of the economy — with a particularly dramatic impact on agriculture. As a result, Americans could see the cost of some fruits and vegetables soar [Washington Post].
STATE
Economists’ school-funding proposals may draw stiff resistance:
The greatest challenge to raising Oklahoma’s average teacher pay may not be finding money, but overcoming the opposition of status quo defenders entrenched in state schools [The Oklahoman].
Oklahoma economic outlook for 2017 positive but not strong:
While the national rate is just over 1 percent, OSU economist Dan Rickman predicts 0.4 percent growth for Oklahoma [Public Radio Tulsa].
Controversy churns over wind farm subsidies:
Lucrative incentives for wind farms are again spinning up controversy, as industry supporters argue for continued support from the state while critics question whether Oklahoma can afford it [Ada News].
Traveling to OKC on the turnpike would cost 50 cents more; board approves specific rate hikes:
If implemented, the increase in tolls by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority would pay for a planned improvement and expansion project announced last October. The OTA had earlier approved a 12 percent rate increase. Tuesday’s action sets the specific monetary increases [Tulsa World].
State unveils plan for A-F school report cards, keeping single overall grade:
Oklahoma schools would continue to receive a single letter grade from the state Department of Education under a new plan for school accountability released Tuesday, but the components of the grades would be expanded [Oklahoma Watch].
MISCELLANEOUS
Data shows most American farms are still family farms:
A new report by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) shows not only just how dependent America is on family farms, but also how many are independent of government [Food Safety News].
