Ritchie Reappointed Senate Agriculture Committee Chair

Also Selected to Serve On Other Key Committees, Including Finance and Transportation 

State Senator Patty Ritchie has announced she has been reappointed as Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and in addition, was named to the powerful Finance and Transportation Committees. 

“In recent years we’ve made great progress to grow the agriculture industry, increasing funding for critical programs and making investments in initiatives that support our state’s hardworking farmers,” said Senator Ritchie.  "I am thrilled to once again be named as Chair of the Agriculture Committee and am looking forward to working alongside my colleagues and New York’s farmers to help the industry continue to grow.”

Since first being appointed Senate Agriculture Committee Chair in 2011, Senator Ritchie has led the charge to increase funding for critical agriculture programs by more than $21 million above the Executive’s recommendation, repeal costly mandates affecting farmers, launch new initiatives including the innovative “Young Farmers NY”—a program that aims to protect the future of agriculture by attracting young people to careers in the industry—and leading the fight against deadly diseases like EEE and rabies. 

As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Ritchie will see additional responsibilities in helping to craft the state’s $142 billion state budget.  In her role as a member of the Transportation Committee, she will focus on helping to determine investments in state infrastructure, including bridges, highways, airports and ports.  Recently, the state received a more than $5 billion windfall that Senator Ritchie has said should be targeted largely to create jobs, such as by infrastructure improvements. 

In addition to these committees, Senator Ritchie will also continue to serve on the following committees: Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Civil Service and Pensions, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Energy, Higher Education, Local Government and Crime Victims, Crime and Correction as well as the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources and the Select Committee on Libraries.