Notes from the West Wing
By
State Representative Garey Bies
Committees
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is enjoying the holiday season. I certainly cherish this time of year as the house fills with visiting family and the sounds of happy grandchildren permeate the air! And while the house is as busy as it gets, the holiday period at the Capitol is a bit slow. But with the new session beginning on January 5th, there is much to get organized in the next few days and one of those items is committee assignments, which is the topic for this edition of Notes from the West Wing.
Typically, shortly after the elections, the political party in control determines the number and structure for the legislative committees for the upcoming session. This time, however, we were not notified of the committee structure until early December. At that time, I submitted my preferences for which committees I would like to be a member of. Then, late on December 22nd our leadership was notified by the Democrats of a new committee structure which included the elimination of some committees and the creation of new ones.
Under this new committee structure, I have been assigned to the Transportation Committee, Tourism Committee and I will be the Ranking Member of the Public Safety Committee. The Public Safety Committee is one of the new committees that first appeared on the December 22nd list. The new session begins in only 4 working days and Democrats have given no indication as to what will be the purview of the Public Safety Committee, who their membership will be or even who will be the Chairperson. As a result I cannot share with you what challenges the Committee will tackle or even my own goals for the Committee. Obviously we can ascertain from the name at least a little of what the Committee will be about, but unfortunately anything beyond generalizations would be mere speculation.
I was hopeful to be able to share with you a bit more about what my committee role is to be for the coming session today but that is just not to be though I certainly do appreciate the trust my leadership has placed in me to name me Ranking Member of a Committee not completely fleshed out yet by the Democrats. Given the Committee’s title, I am sure my 30 years of experience in the Door County Sheriff’s Department will serve the Committee well. As I learn more of this new Committee and its role, I will be sure to keep you all updated.
If you would like to contact me, I can be reached by e-mail at Rep.Bies@legis.wisconsin.gov or by telephone, toll-free at 1-888-482-0001. You can also visit my website at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm01/news/.
Have A Happy New Year!