Area legislators have been given their assignments for the next legislative sessions and Northwoods elected officials have been given some prime spots on committees.
Senator Tom Tiffany will continue to be on the legislature's most powerful committee, the Joint Committee on Finance and also continues to chair the Sporting Heritage, Mining and Forestry Committee. Senator Janet Bewley is on the Committee on Education and also the committee on Unversities, Technical Colleges and Children and Families.
Representative Jeff Mursau chairs the Forestry, Parks and and Outdoor Recreation Committee in the Assembly, and Mary Felzkowski is on the same committee. Representative Beth Meyers is the Minority Caucus Secretary and is on the Transportation Committee and Aging and Long-Term Care.
Representative Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander says he's on six committees and chairs the committee on State Affairs and is vice chair of the Assembly committee on Tourism. He also returns to the Building Commission which is chaired by Governor Evers.
Swearingen says he will be working to keep more broadband coming to the Northwoods. He's waiting for Gov. Evers budget...
"...We're anxious to see his budget unveiled(to see) what he's going to do with education and what he's thinking about putting into it. Transportation continues to be an issue. We're concerned there needs to be more of a revenue stream put into transportation. All eyes will be on the new Governor's budget when he introduces it sometime in mid-February I would guess...."
Swearingen says for the first time since being first elected in 2012 that there are Democrats in positions of power in Madison.
