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Area Senate members to serve on committees
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State Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd
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State Sen. Jason Wilson of Columbiana, D-30th
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State Sen. Capri Cafaro (D-Liberty)
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YOUNGSTOWN
The three state Senate members from the Mahoning Valley will serve as ranking Democratic members on five of the legislative body’s 14 committees.
State Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd, is the new ranking minority member on the energy and public-utilities committee and remains the top Democrat on the insurance, commerce and labor committee.
He also retains his membership on the highway and transportation, and the judiciary — criminal-justice committees.
Schiavoni, an attorney whose district includes Mahoning County, is no longer on the judiciary — civil-justice committee. But he is now a member of the agriculture, environment and natural resources committee.
There are 10 Democrats, including three from the Valley, in the 33-member state Senate. That is the smallest number of Democrats in the Senate in 44 years.
Because of the large Republican presence in the Senate, Democrats make up a small minority on several committees. For examples, there are only four Democrats on the finance committee compared to nine Republicans.
State Sen. Jason Wilson of Columbiana, D-30th, is the top Democrat on the highway and transportation committee. He was a member of the committee in the last session.
Wilson, the assistant minority whip, No. 4 Democratic position in the Senate, is retaining his spot as ranking minority member of the agriculture, environment and natural-resources committee.
Wilson also is retaining his seat on the energy and public-utilities committee and is a member of the rules and reference committee. In the last session, there were separate rules and references committees, with Wilson serving on rules.
Wilson, whose district includes Columbiana County, didn’t keep his seat on the insurance, commerce and labor committee.
As minority leader, the No. 1 leadership spot for Democrats in the Senate, Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, doesn’t serve on many committees.
Last year, she was the ranking Democrat on the reference and rules committees as well as a member of the government-oversight committee. In this session, Cafaro, whose district includes Trumbull County, is serving only as the top Democrat on the rules and reference committee.