Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the Andersons as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this week. We wish you and yours a nice holiday and hope you get to spend extra time in the company of friends and family.
As for things at the Capitol, we are busy putting things in place so we can hit the ground running once the 2015 session starts Jan. 6. Part of that involves setting up our committee structure as the new Republican majority prepares to take office in the House. Committee leaders have been set and I am very pleased to accept the position as chair of the House Agriculture Policy Committee.
Agriculture is an incredibly important element in our area and, as a farmer, I understand the challenges we face and look forward to addressing them. At the end of this email is a news release we recently sent to the local media announcing my new position and highlighting just a few areas where we want to make improvements.
Please continue to provide me with your thoughts, ideas and concerns as we work toward the start of the new session. I will keep you posted with more frequent updates now that election-season rules regarding emails like this have been lifted.
Until then, happy Thanksgiving and please be careful out on the roads if you plan to travel.
Sincerely,
Paul
NEWS RELEASE
REP. ANDERSON GAINS KEY
AG. POST IN HOUSE
ST. PAUL – Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, will put his lifetime of experience in farming to work in a new capacity at the Capitol by chairing the House Agriculture Policy Committee.
Anderson, who recently was elected to his fourth term in the House, has served on agriculture committees throughout his six years in office. He has been an advocate for people in the agriculture industry and the economy in Greater Minnesota in general. This includes initiatives to make propane more accessible, improve rail transit and to repeal taxes on equipment repair. He also has been vocal regarding the rising property taxes on agricultural land.
“One of the big things we plan to examine this year is the directives we receive from the Department of Agriculture regarding the timing and placement of fertilizer, as well as irrigation and water-related issues,” Anderson said. “Those are big deals out here and we will be taking a look at how we can make things better.”
Anderson also said he is interested in addressing a declining bee population where it relates to farming, discussing food labeling for genetically modified organisms and hearing ideas regarding unmanned aircraft used for scouting crops. Anderson said federal regulations largely will cover the latter, but wants to bring Minnesota to the forefront in enacting common sense solutions for this advancing technology.
“I am pleased to serve as chairman of this committee and will continue working to represent the wishes of people in our part of the state and others like it,” Anderson said. “We have a lot of work to do and I encourage people in our area to remain in contact with me as we prepare for the 2015 session and as we get going in St. Paul.”
Republicans will assume the majority when the House convenes Jan. 6 and this week unveiled their new committee structure. One key change is the return of a stand-alone Agriculture Finance Committee after Democrats combined that panel with environmental and natural resources for 2013-14.
Anderson was an outspoken voice for maintaining a committee distinction between agriculture those mixed interests and said he looks forward to a landscape where discussions pertaining to agriculture are again held apart from the others. Rep. Rod. Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake, will chair the Agriculture Finance Committee.
“Agriculture is such an important issue to our state and it is good to have two farmers from rural Minnesota taking the lead on agriculture,” Anderson said. “I am eager to partner with Rod over on the finance side as we address issues pertaining to ag.”
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