Among state Rep. Jim Walsh’s new committee assignments is a leadership position as the ranking member of the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee.

“I couldn’t be happier with my committee assignments for this session,” the Aberdeen Republican said on his Facebook page.

The committee oversees public policy ranging from the processes of state government and agency rule-making to emergency management and tribal issues.

“This committee plays a vital role in dealing with state administrative policy. As we are all well aware, there’s plenty of room for reform in how our state agencies operate. It also holds some level of oversight over interesting state election topics, like the Voting Rights Act and even the scheduling of the presidential primary,” said Walsh.

He continued, “In regards to tribal affairs, I want to talk with the tribes about their role as local economic development engines. We need to cooperate with that growth and encourage it more.”

The 19th Legislative District representative will be assistant ranking member on the House Transportation Committee. The committee will be considering upcoming proposals for the 2019-21 transportation budget, as well as other transportation-related policy and issues.

“… This year, we’re going to bring an even brighter light to matters of transparency and accountability for that agency,” said Walsh. “We’ll also be dealing with a number of hot issues, like the controversial gas tax increase and the road utilization charge proposals. Because I don’t believe additional taxes are the solution for our transportation issues, you can be assured I’ll be scrutinizing those propositions very closely.”

Walsh will continue to serve as a member of the House Capital Budget and Rural Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources committees. Capital Budget considers funding for many of the state’s infrastructure and construction projects. The Rural Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee hears issues dealing with agriculture production, management of state-owned lands, fisheries and wildlife topics and forest fire protection.

“As for the Rural Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, I’m planning on pressing our state to develop our vast agricultural resources,” Walsh said. “For our district, that means aquaculture. We need to push back on regulatory action that would damage core vital industries, like commercial fishing, oyster farming and crabbing.”

The 2019 legislative session is scheduled for 105 days, beginning Monday.