State Sen. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, will again serve as the chair of the Senate’s Agriculture Finance Committee when the new legislative session begins in January, a post he has held since 2017.
In a change from previous years, the Agriculture Policy committee has merged with the Finance Committee, so Westrom’s committee will take on policy-related decisions as well.
“I grew up on a farm. I have lived in Greater Minnesota my entire life,” said Westrom in a news release. “I know how important agriculture is -- not just to the numerous small towns that make up most of Minnesota’s 87 counties, but to our state as a whole. Whether it’s crops, livestock, food processing, or other types of value-added agriculture, it is important that we keep our taxes low and find ways to streamline any regulations that hinder our farmers and agricultural manufacturers. Strong agriculture means a strong Minnesota.”
The priority for the session will be balancing the budget in light of an economy recovering from COVID-19, according to Westrom.
In light of the pandemic, the Senate has set up more committees -- 29 in total now -- but they will have fewer members to accommodate for social distancing. The added new committee areas are focused on data practices and civil law, property taxes, mining and forestry, labor and industry, health and human services licensing, metropolitan governance, and redistricting.
