Amy Koch
Encyclopedia
Amy T. Koch is a Minnesota
politician, member and Majority Leader of the Minnesota Senate
, representing District 19, which includes portions of Hennepin
and Wright
counties in the northwestern Twin Cities
metropolitan area.
, Koch was first elected to the Senate in a special election held on November 22, 2005, after Senator Mark Ourada announced his resignation effective December 31, 2005. She was re-elected in the 2006 and 2010 general elections. She previously served as an assistant minority leader
, is the first woman to serve as Majority Leader, and the first Republican to do so since the end of the non-partisan era.
Koch previously served as a member of the Senate's Business, Industry and Jobs Committee, the Education Committee, the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee, and the Transportation Committee. She also served on the Business, Industry and Jobs Subcommittee for Workforce Development, and on the Finance subcommittees for the E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, the Economic Development and Housing Budget Division (on which she is the ranking minority member), the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and the Transportation Budget and Policy Division-Transit Subdivision. Her special legislative concerns include transportation and reducing the size of government.
in Moorhead
before opting to go into military service. She attended the Defense Language Institute
at the Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, California
, training in the Russian language and graduating in 1992. She was a senior airman
with the United States Air Force
from 1992 to 1996, and worked for the National Security Agency
during this same period as a Russian linguist. For her work with the agency, she received the Joint Service Achievement Medal. She later attended St. Cloud State University
in St. Cloud
, graduating in 1999.
and Hance Utility Services, Inc., also in Buffalo.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician, member and Majority Leader of the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
, representing District 19, which includes portions of Hennepin
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
and Wright
Wright County, Minnesota
Wright County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1855. As of 2010, the population was 124,700. Its county seat is Buffalo.-History:...
counties in the northwestern Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area.
Service and leadership in Minnesota Senate
A RepublicanRepublican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
, Koch was first elected to the Senate in a special election held on November 22, 2005, after Senator Mark Ourada announced his resignation effective December 31, 2005. She was re-elected in the 2006 and 2010 general elections. She previously served as an assistant minority leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
, is the first woman to serve as Majority Leader, and the first Republican to do so since the end of the non-partisan era.
Koch previously served as a member of the Senate's Business, Industry and Jobs Committee, the Education Committee, the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee, and the Transportation Committee. She also served on the Business, Industry and Jobs Subcommittee for Workforce Development, and on the Finance subcommittees for the E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, the Economic Development and Housing Budget Division (on which she is the ranking minority member), the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and the Transportation Budget and Policy Division-Transit Subdivision. Her special legislative concerns include transportation and reducing the size of government.
Education and military service
Koch attended Concordia CollegeConcordia College, Moorhead
Concordia College is a private liberal arts school located in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and offers bachelors' degrees in the arts and music, as well as a master's degree in education. The college was founded by Norwegian...
in Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
before opting to go into military service. She attended the Defense Language Institute
Defense Language Institute
The Defense Language Institute is a United States Department of Defense educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers...
at the Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, training in the Russian language and graduating in 1992. She was a senior airman
Airman
An airman is a member of the air component of a nation's armed service. In the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force , it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank...
with the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
from 1992 to 1996, and worked for the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
during this same period as a Russian linguist. For her work with the agency, she received the Joint Service Achievement Medal. She later attended St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud State University is a four-year public university founded in 1869 on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. The university is the largest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system which is the largest single provider of higher...
in St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
, graduating in 1999.
Business owner
Koch is a the owner of HBK Properties LLC in BuffaloBuffalo, Minnesota
As of the census of 2008, there were 18,141 people, 6,612 households, and 6,313 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,675.8 people per square mile . There were 3,871 housing units at an average density of 642.5 per square mile...
and Hance Utility Services, Inc., also in Buffalo.