Senator Smith to head national ag committee

Smith

He also has been chosen to represent the 16 Southern states of the Southern Legislative Conference on its Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Management Committee, and Executive Committee.

Smith previously has chaired a number of other SLC committees dealing with the North American Free Trade Agreement, regional pesticide issues, foreign markets for Southern products, and rural development issues.

He has served as chairman and vice chairman of the state Senate Committee on Agriculture and wrote the Mississippi Farm Reform Act. The act, the subject of a 1993 special legislative session called by Gov. Kirk Fordice, was expanded to increase rural financing to a $60 million program.

Smith has written several small business finance programs and legislation on child abuse prevention such as the Children's Trust Fund and the Mississippi Blended Funding Formula for children's services.

He has worked for educational initiatives such as the Education Reform Act of 1982 and has promoted music and arts as instructional tools for the state's children.

Smith, a Democrat, has served 15 years in the state Legislature, first in the House of Representatives and currently in the Senate. He represents Simpson County and parts of Rankin, Copiah, and Covington counties.