Zawistowski Appointed as a Vice Chairman of Rural/Agriculture Caucus

HARTFORD — Members of the Rural/Agricultural Caucus today appointed state Rep. Tami Zawistowski as a vice chairman of this bipartisan panel focused on issues that impact Connecticut’s smaller towns and farming communities.

Prompted by inquires from Zawistowski and a few other legislators, the caucus on March 4 reorganized after a period of inactivity and held its initial meeting of the 2015 legislative session. The panel’s members decided to reformat its leadership structure, appointing Zawistowski as one of two vice chairmen in the process.

“Concerns of larger communities often dominate Capitol conversation and news media coverage, so it’s critical that those of us who represent smaller communities work together to ensure our voices are as loud as possible,” said Zawistowski, who began her first full term in January. “Small towns are of course affected by state budgetary decisions, but as the retail agricultural sector grows so does our importance in the state’s economy.”

Caucus members on Wednesday heard testimony from a Connecticut Farm Bureau official after discussing how budget cuts to the resident state trooper program would impact local property taxes and outlining a process to prioritize bills most important to small towns and the agribusiness community.