Senator-elect J.R. Claeys (R-Salina) announced that he has received committee assignments for the 2021 session of the Kansas Legislature.
Claeys was elected to serve the 24th Senate District in November. The district covers all of Saline county and the northern half of Dickinson County, including the cities of Abilene and Chapman. Claeys served for eight years as a state representative from Saline County.
Claeys will serve in the upcoming session as vice chairman of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee. He was also selected as the vice chairman of the Transportation Committee.
“I’m looking forward to serving the people of Saline and Dickinson counties in leadership roles in the Kansas Senate,” said Claeys. “There is no shortage of challenges that we face as a state and a region going into the 2021 legislative session.”
The Ways and Means Committee is responsible for writing the annual state budget, making it a sought-after position in the Senate. Claeys has a record of experience with writing budgets and transportation issues as a former chairman of the House Transportation and Public Safety Budget Committee and a three-term member of the Appropriations Committee in the House. He also served on the Kansas Transportation Task Force responsible for assembling the 10-Year Eisenhower Transportation Program that replaces T-Works.
Kansas senators typically serve on four committees. Claeys will also serve as a member of the Assessment and Taxation Committee and the Utilities Committee.
The Kansas Legislature is scheduled to convene on Jan. 11, 2021, in the Statehouse in Topeka.
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The above information was submitted by Senator-elect J.R. Claeys.