Senator Jim Dabakis
Phone: 801-815-3533
Email: jim.dabakis@gmail.com
S.J.R. 16 is a call for a constitutional amendment that would dump the State Board of Education model of governing.
This resolution will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Friday, March 2, 2018 at 4 p.m. in room 210 of the Senate Building.
It is not often that Governor Herbert and Senator Jim Dabakis agree, but they both think the state needs to take a closer look at the constitutionally mandated State Board of Education. The Constitution gives the Utah State School Board of Education “general control and supervision” over the public education system in Utah, including establishing the state educational core standards, state educator licensing policies, and state high school graduation requirements.
Senator Dabakis released the following:
"The State Board, not the Governor nor the Legislature, have supreme control over the state's 4-billion-dollar education budget, as well as general control and supervision over Utah's school children."
Dabakis continued, "It is an open secret in state government that the School Board is ineffective at best, and often a huge impediment to the proper functioning of K-12 education. This resolution is the first step to a constitutional change in the governance of Utah public education. As the first responsibility of state government, school children and teachers deserve well-structured education leadership. Clearly, the current State School Board approach is not living up to that measure."
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Still Time to be Counted in the 2017 Census of Agriculture NASS to follow-up with producers who have not yet responded
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – March 2, 2018 – Farmers and ranchers still have time to be counted in the 2017 Census of Agriculture, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Although the first deadline has passed, NASS will continue to accept Census information through the spring to get a complete and accurate picture of American agriculture that represents all farmers and ranchers.
"We thank everyone who has completed their Census form to date. Utah currently has a return rate of almost 45 percent of the more than 25,000 Census questionnaires mailed last fall," said Utah State Statistician John Hilton. "A lot is at stake if producers are not represented in this data. Census data have and will continue to influence important decisions for Utah agriculture. The data will affect every operation and every farming community at some point, whether it be through farm policy, disaster relief, insurance or loan programs, infrastructure improvements, or agribusiness setup. There is accuracy and strength in numbers, which is why NASS is committed to giving producers every opportunity to respond."
Federal law mandates that everyone who received the 2017 Census of Agriculture questionnaire complete it and return it even if not currently farming. NASS will continue to follow-up with producers through the spring with mailings, phone calls, and personal visits. To avoid these additional contacts, farmers and ranchers are encouraged to complete their Census either online at www.agcounts.usda.gov or by mail as soon as possible. Responding online saves time by skipping sections that do not apply and automatically calculating totals. The online questionnaire is accessible on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.
For more information about the 2017 Census of Agriculture, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov. For questions or assistance filling out the Census, call toll-free (888) 424-7828.
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Editor’s Note: For an image to accompany this press release, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov/Partners/.
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Email: press@oc.usda.gov
USDA Helps Cotton Producers Maintain, Expand Domestic Market
(MEMPHIS, TN, March 3, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced at the 66th Annual Mid-South Farm and Gin Show the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking action to assist cotton producers through a Cotton Ginning Cost Share (CGCS) program in order to expand and maintain the domestic marketing of cotton.
“America’s cotton producers have now faced four years of financial stress, just like the rest of our major commodities, but with a weaker safety net,” Perdue said. “In particular, cotton producers confront high input and infrastructure costs, which leaves them more financially leveraged than most of their colleagues. That economic burden has been felt by the entire cotton market, including the gins, cooperatives, marketers, cottonseed crushers, and the rural communities that depend upon their success.”
The sign-up period for the CGCS program runs from March 12, 2018, to May 11, 2018.
Under the program, which is administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), cotton producers may receive a cost share payment, which is based on a producer’s 2016 cotton acres reported to FSA multiplied by 20 percent of the average ginning cost for each production region.
Perdue added, “I hope this will be a needed help as the rural cotton-growing communities stretching from the Southeastern U.S. to the San Joaquin Valley of California prepare to plant. This infusion gives them one last opportunity for assistance until their Farm Bill safety net becomes effective.”
The CGCS payment rates for each region of the country are:
Region
States
Costs of Ginning per Acre
CGCS Payment Rate
Southeast...............................................
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia..
$116.05
$23.21
Mid-South..............................................
Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee......
$151.97
$30.39
Southwest..............................................
Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas
$98.26
$19.65
West.......................................................
Arizona, California, New Mexico.............................
$240.10
$48.02
CGCS payments are capped at $40,000 per producer. To qualify for the program, cotton producers must meet conservation compliance provisions, be actively engaged in farming and have adjusted gross incomes not exceeding $900,000. FSA will mail letters and pre-filled applications to all eligible cotton producers.
The program was established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act.
To learn more about the CGCS program, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/cgcs or contact a local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county office, visit the USDA’s new website: https://www.farmers.gov/.
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