Early in the 2013 legislative session, Speaker Paul Thissen’s eliminated the House Agriculture and Rural Development Finance Committee, and combine it with the Environment Finance committee, currently chaired by Rep. Jean Wagenius, a Democrat from Minneapolis. Rep. Wagenius has very little experience with agriculture issues, and has a record of voting for policies that disproportionately favor Metro cities and suburbs over Greater Minnesota. Throughout the 2013 session this change in committee structure diminished rural Minnesota’s voice and influence and allowed Agriculture Finance committee to be ruled by a Metro legislator.
I joined with my fellow Republicans Tuesday in voting for a motion that would have moved the Agriculture Finance Committee and recombined it with the Agriculture Policy Committee, as it has been in the past. That committee was chaired by Rep. Jeanne Poppe, a rural Democrat who better understands the issues and challenges facing our state’s agriculture industry.
The motion was introduced by Rep. Rod Hamilton, a Republican pork producer from Southwest MN. He gave a compelling plea for bipartisan support, and I cast my first vote in support of our rural district and agriculture industry. I will continue to push for the committee change, and will continue to advocate for rural Minnesota. It will be one of my highest priorities to ensure that rural Minnesota is adequately represented, and that we keep the best interests of rural Minnesota and our agriculture industry in mind when passing legislation.
-Rep. Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls) District 09B