House Speaker Roger Hanshaw last week announced leadership roles within the West Virginia House of Delegates and a change to the committee format for the upcoming 87th Legislature. Delegate Lori Dittman, representing Braxton County, will take on a new roll within the revised format.
“Each of the ladies and gentlemen who will come to this building to take the oath of office will do so with the confidence of the 1.8 million West Virginians who are counting on us to chart a course of leadership and progress that will improve their daily lives,” Hanshaw said just before the official swearing ceremony. “A new Legislature is an opportunity to adjust the foundation we have here to facilitate the work of the House, and we believe the lineup we’ve assembled will bring about new discussions, new approaches and new solutions.”
Delegate Lori Dittman, R-Braxton, recently elected to her second term, will be Chairman of the Higher Education Subcommittee with Delegate Jimmy Willis, R-Brooke, serving as its Vice Chair. The subcommittee will be a part of The Standing Committee on Education, led by Chairman Joe Ellington, one of six major committees within the new format.
Dittman will continue to serve as a member of the Finance and Education committees. She may be assigned to other committees at a later date.
The House will have six standing committees: Health and Human Resources, Energy and Public Works, Finance, Government Organization, Education and Judiciary. The Standing Committee on Finance will have four subcommittees and all other standing committees each will have three subcommittees. The committee process also will see changes.
“In addition to a strong blend of new and established leadership, I’m excited to implement a new format for our committee work here in the House,” Hanshaw said. “For far too long, the success rate of a legislative session has been measured by the number of bills passed, and that’s just not the appropriate assessment for what should be a focus on problem-solving.
“We know this will be a big adjustment for a lot of us, especially our staff and the public, but we are optimistic about this approach, which we think will be easier to follow and will lead to a more solution-oriented approach to lawmaking,” Hanshaw concluded.