MUHLENBERG COUNTY, KY (1/11/13) – State Rep. Brent Yonts of Greenville today was named Chair of the Kentucky General Assembly’s House State Government Committee by Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo.
 
Like all House standing—or session-only—committee Chairs, Yonts will hold his new post officially for two years but will remain Chair indefinitely. He will also serve as Co-Chair of the Interim Joint Committee on State Government, which meets between sessions.
 
Yonts is an eight-term State Representative who has served as a member of the House State Government Committee since 2005. Besides serving on the House State Government panel, Yonts is a longtime member of the House Judiciary and Labor and Industry committees, the Special Subcommittee on Energy, the legislative Government Contract Review Committee (on which he served as Co-Chair for many years), and is currently serving a four-year term as Chair of the Kentucky Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. Nationally, he serves as Vice Chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures Labor and Economic Development Standing Committee and on various work groups.
 
Yonts is also a past Vice Chair and former member of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, which he currently serves as a liaison member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary in the House.
 
“I am honored to be appointed Chair of House State Government by my colleagues, particularly during this time of momentous change in the state pension system and other policy areas that this committee oversees,” said Yonts. “The House State Government Committee also has jurisdiction over all redistricting legislation that passes through the House, so I have little doubt my new post will be one of the hardest jobs I will ever love.”
 
Yonts replaces former House State Government Committee Chair State Rep. Mike Cherry of Princeton, who did not run for reelection to the House last fall. Cherry—who served in the Kentucky House from 1999 to 2013—was Chair of the committee from 2005 through 2012. Last year, Cherry and former Senate State and Local Government Committee Chair (now Senate Majority Floor Leader) Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, led a study to revamp Kentucky’s state and county employee public pension system.
 
Reform of the state pension system that oversees public pensions for state government employees, local government employees and the Kentucky State Police is a top legislative priority of both the state House and Senate during the General Assembly’s 2013 Regular Session, which began Jan. 8.
 
All House committee assignments were announced today as the House concluded the first week, and first part, of the 30-legislative day 2013 Regular Session. The second part of the session—which will be used to formulate and set state policy—begins Tuesday, Feb. 5.
 
SurfKY News
Information provided by Rebecca Hanchett

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