OLYMPIA – Leaders in the House have picked Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon to serve on the Environment, Transportation, Local Government, and General Government Appropriations and Oversight committees. Fitzgibbon officially began work on those committees on Monday when the legislative session commenced.
The House Environment Committee is new this session, and works on issues including Puget Sound, state parks, and climate change.
“The work we need to do on environmental and climate change issues has only just begun,” said Fitzgibbon, D-Burien. “We must act immediately to clean up Puget Sound and to reduce our global warming impact.”
The Transportation Committee oversees all transportation modes in our state, including state highways, ferries, transit and rail.
“Safe and well-maintained roads, transit, and ferries are essential to my district’s economic vitality,” Fitzgibbon said. “Families want a robust network of transportation choices, and I will be working to protect and expand the transit choices in our communities and to repair our ailing ferry system.”
The Local Government Committee handles growth management and land use, county and city financing, and other issues.
“I will be working to strengthen our growth management laws, which protect our environment and facilitate efficient delivery of local services,” Fitzgibbon said.
The General Government Appropriations and Oversight Committee prepares the budget for a broad array of state agencies, including prisons, natural resource agencies, and the judiciary.
“While we must tighten our belts during this difficult budget year,” said Fitzgibbon, “my work on this committee will seek to ensure that these cuts do not undermine the safety of the public or the health of our environment.”
Fitzgibbon will spend at least 20 hours per week in public committee hearings. The legislative session is scheduled to end April 24.