Rock Island Today

I have been selected to serve on six different House committees this spring, including as chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Committees are the setting where some of the most important work gets done on legislation in Springfield. That is where we examine the bills, ask questions of sponsors and hear testimony from supporters, opponents and the state agencies who will be charged with implementing the changes made by the bill. Committees have an important oversight role over state agencies and how taxpayer dollars are spent.

During this General Assembly, in addition to the Veterans Affairs committee, I will once again be the Republican spokesperson on the Higher Education committee, a role I held over the past two years. I will also serve on the Agriculture and Conservation Committee as well as committees dealing with State Government Administration and Education Policy. Last but not least I will be a member of the Appropriations committee which looks at the budget for our higher education institutions.

Now that the committees have been formed, legislation will start being assigned to them and we should begin holding hearings when we return to Springfield on February 18. I am looking forward to getting to work on these important committees, which will be closely examining hundreds of bills over the next couple of months.