Minnesota Senate Republicans today announced that Senator Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes) will become the chairman of the Senate Education Finance and Policy Committee when the new legislative session begins in January. Senator Chamberlain had previously served as the chairman of the Senate Taxes Committee.

“My passion has always been education,” said Sen. Chamberlain. “I look around the country and I see the success other states are having by thinking outside the box, and I want to bring that same creativity here. We can make a great education accessible to all Minnesotans — regardless of race, income level, or zip code — if we are willing to push ourselves outside our comfort zone. I enjoyed serving as the chair of the Taxes Committee, but I am excited about this new challenge and for the opportunity to put more students in a position to achieve their dreams.”

The priority for the session will be balancing the budget in light of an economy recovering from covid. The Senate Finance Committee is the only committee with hearing time available three days a week, all others are limited to one or two hearings a week, or as needed. Less meeting time will help focus the agendas and ensure public participation can be done safely. There are more committees, 29 in total, from 2020, but with fewer members to accommodate for social distancing. The 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.