The state Senate and Assembly will undergo changes with the addition of two new members to the Joint Committee On Finance and the creation of the two new state Assembly committees for the coming 2015-’16 legislative session.
State Senate Minority Leader-elect Jennifer Shilling, D-LaCrosse, released Tuesday the names of the two new additions to the Joint Committee On Finance; Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton.
Schilling said she hopes the new members will continue the prerogative of the Democratic Party to continue to serve Wisconsin families and create a sustainable budget.
“I look forward to working with Senators Taylor and Erpenbach as Wisconsin Democrats continue to advocate for investments in education, worker training and economic infrastructure to boost our economy and create new jobs,” Schilling said in a joint statement with Taylor and Erpenbach.
Both senators expressed their goals for the upcoming session.
“As always, I will advocate for reforms in our justice system, for quality education, and for economic and social justice for all Wisconsinites,” Taylor said in the statement.
Erpenbach also promised to continue to advocate for Wisconsin residents.
“The policies over the past four years have drastically reduced our state investments in our people and prevented the long-term economic growth and prosperity that Wisconsin residents were promised,” Erpenbach said in the statement.
In the Assembly, State Majority Leader Robin Vos, R-Rochester, announced the creation of the Mental Health Reform and Public Benefits Reform Committees. Vos hopes that the two committees will eliminate waste and fraud by serving only those who really need assistance.
“We want to expand on the mental health care reforms that we implemented from the bipartisan work of the Speaker’s Task Force on Mental Health last session,” Vos said a statement.
The committee appointments will be made over the course of the next several weeks, in time for the start of the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 5.
