Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Cass County, was recently appointed to the Minnesota State Senate Rural Task Force. The group will study the needs of Minnesota's rural communities, including nursing home and health care access, education, transportation, economic development, and property taxes.
"I am honored and excited to begin work focusing on the needs of rural Minnesota. For too long the focus in the Legislature has been on the metro area. I believe our community and all rural Minnesotans deserve a stronger voice and I'm pleased to be a part of a bipartisan group of rural legislators as we head into a budget year to address agreed upon needs for rural Minnesota," Gazelka said.
The bipartisan panel will be made up of four Republicans and four Democrats, all from rural communities. It will also feature involvement from The Association of Minnesota Counties, the League of Minnesota Cities, the Minnesota Association of Townships, the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, the Minnesota Rural Caucus, the Minnesota Association of Small Cities, and members of the Governor's administration.
The group will meet once per month during the interim and bring forward potential legislation when the 2015 legislative session convenes.
