Manweller named ranking Republican on labor committee
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Manweller named lead Republican on labor committee
Rep. Matt Manweller received some extraordinary news when the House Republican leadership announced 2013 committee assignments for their members today. He will serve as the top Republican legislator on the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee.
“It is almost unprecedented that a freshman legislator gets to be the ranking member, especially on such an important committee, so I am very excited,” said Manweller, R-Ellensburg. “Given the challenges our economy faces right now, I plan to work on policies that bring jobs back to Washington. I am honored the House leadership has confidence in my abilities and I look forward to working in a positive manner with all members of the committee.”
Republican Leader Richard DeBolt says Manweller is a good fit for the assignment.
“It is not common for a freshman lawmaker to be appointed a ranking member on a committee, but Matt is not your common freshman. He comes to the Legislature with an understanding of labor issues and, more importantly, what employers need to be successful,” said House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis. “The House Labor and Workforce Development Committee considers a lot of important issues that impact our state's business climate, and we look forward to Matt advocating for solutions there. We know he will do a great job.”
Manweller has also been assigned to the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. The health care committee will oversee the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Washington, as well as other health care issues
“The passage of the federal health care overhaul presents enormous challenges to Washington. I hope that serving on the Health Care Committee I can move to minimize the more expensive and unfortunate parts of the legislation,” Manweller said. “We need to protect access to health care without creating expensive bureaucracies that make health care harder to obtain. Equally important, serving on this committee I can work to ensure funding for rural critical access hospitals.”
Manweller's final committee assignment is the Government Operations and Elections Committee, which considers issues relating to state government, agency rulemaking, elections and campaign finance.
“As a member of this committee, I'm most interested in addressing agency rulemaking. Over the past few years, departments such as Ecology and Labor and Industries have adopted too many rules that harm the economic competitiveness of Washington state. I would like to see jobs stay here instead of being exported to neighboring states,” Manweller said.
The Legislature convenes Monday, Jan. 14. The regular session is scheduled for 105 days.
