The Legislative Council is meeting today, the joint panel that oversees legislative matters between sessions; naming of members to interim committees for this year tops their agenda. The new panels will study broadband access, state purchasing laws and urban renewal issues. Continued committees from the past include the criminal justice reinvestment oversight committee; the committee on natural resources; the health care task force; and the public defense reform committee.

Here are this year’s appointees:

Broadband Access: Co-Chairs are Sen. Dean Mortimer and Rep. Luke Malek. Members are Sens. Dean Cameron, Bart Davis, Bob Nonini, and Dan Schmidt; and Reps. Lance Clow, Rick Youngblood, Greg Chaney and John Rusche.

Criminal Justice Reinvestment Oversight: Co-Chairs are Sen. Patti Anne Lodge and Rep. Rich Wills. Members are Sens. Shawn Keough, Jim Rice, Dan Schmidt, Cherie Buckner-Webb, and Reps. James Holtzclaw, Luke Malek, John McCrostie and Mark Nye.

Health Care Task Force: Co-Chairs are Sen. Dean Cameron and Rep. Gary Collins. Members are Sens. Steve Vick, Marv Hagedorn, John Tippets, Lee Heider, Steven Thayn, and Dan Schmidt, and Reps. Fred Wood, Lynn Luker, Brandon Hixon, Luke Malek, John Rusche, and Elaine Smith.

Natural Resources Interim Committee: Co-Chairs are Sen. Steve Bair and Rep. Dell Raybould. Members are Sens. Jeff Siddoway, Lee Heider, Dean Cameron, Michele Stennett, and Reps. Scott Bedke, Mike Moyle, Marc Gibbs, and Donna Pence. Additional ad-hoc members are Sens. Bert Brackett, Shawn Keough, Jim Patrick, and Roy Lacey, and Reps. Ken Andrus and Paul Shepherd.

Public Defense Reform Interim Committee: Co-Chairs are Sen. Todd Lakey and Rep. Christy Perry. Members are Sens. Curt McKenzie, Dean Mortimer, Jim Guthrie, and Cherie Buckner-Webb, and Reps. Lynn Luker, Janet Trujillo, Pat McDonald, and John Gannon.

Purchasing Laws: Co-Chairs are Sen. Fred Martin and Rep. Neil Anderson. Members are Sens. Bart Davis, John Tippets, Lori Den Hartog, Maryanne Jordan, and Reps. Maxine Bell, Brent Crane, John Vander Woude, and Mark Nye.

Urban Renewal: Co-Chairs are Sen. Dan Johnson and Rep. Rick Youngblood. Members are Sens. Jeff Siddoway, Chuck Winder, Mary Souza, and Maryanne Jordan, and Reps. Kathy Sims, Robert Anderst, Lance Clow and Hy Kloc.

Joint Legislative Oversight Committee: Co-Chairs are Sen. Cliff Bayer and Rep. John Rusche. Members are Sens. Steve Vick, Michelle Stennett, and Cherie Buckner-Webb, and Reps. Maxine Bell, Gayle Batt, and Elaine Smith.