In a vote by his colleagues today, State Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, was elected to the position of Republican whip. As the whip, he is a member of the Republican leadership team and responsible for ensuring that members of the caucus are in attendance and voting when legislation makes its way to the floor of the House of Representatives.

Harris also will be among the leaders who are responsible for setting legislative priorities supported by the Republican caucus.

“After getting a feel for the learning curve in my first-term, I wanted to be in a more active role this session,” said Harris. “I am excited to be part of our leadership team and anxious to get to work on our agenda. We have some priority issues we want to focus on in the upcoming session. A lot of people are still looking for work. We need to fully fund education, make sure the state budget is sustainable, and I am worried about the costs of power, especially in Clark County.”

Harris was recently elected to his second term representing the 17th Legislative District. Last session, he was the assistant ranking member on the House Environment Committee and also sat on the House Health Care and Wellness, Technology, Energy and Communications and Health and Human Services Appropriations committees. Committee assignments for the upcoming session will be decided in the next few weeks.

The legislative session will begin Jan. 14, 2013 and is scheduled to last 105 days.