Janelle Irwin Taylor
Reps. Lawrence McClure and Susan Valdés will continue leading the House Budget Committee, with McClure as Chair and Valdés as his No. 2, House Speaker Daniel Perez announced Monday as part of his committee reassignments.
Valdés, who represents Tampa-based House District 64, was named co-Chair of the committee last year, just days after she changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.
McClure, who represents House District 68 in east Hillsborough County, led the chamber through a tough budgeting process this year that saw weeks of overtime before a final spending plan was agreed upon.
Traci Koster, who also represents parts of the Tampa Bay area in House District 66, will also serve on the Budget Committee. Two Democrats will serve on the panel, too: House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell and Rep. Michele Rayner, an interesting pairing, considering both are vying for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat Darryl Rouson is vacating next year.
Valdés, meanwhile, will continue serving on the Education and Employment Committee and subcommittees for Government Operations, Education Administration, Industries and Professional Activities, and Insurance and Banking.
McClure will continue to serve as the Alternating Chair for the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, a key position that allows the House and Senate to reconcile budget priorities.
Linda Chaney, whose House District 61 covers much of the Pinellas County beaches, will chair the Government Operations Subcommittee and co-chair the State Administration Budget Subcommittee. Chaney was also named to the Health and Human Services Committee, State Affairs Committee and Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee.
Rep. Berny Jacques, who represents House District 59 in mid-Pinellas, is swapping his committee leadership. After chairing the Careers and Workforce Subcommittee for the 2025 Legislative Session, Jacques will now instead chair the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee while remaining a member of Careers and Workforce Subcommittee.
He’ll also continue serving on the Justice Budget Subcommittee, Insurance and Banking Subcommittee and the Security and Threat Assessment Special Committee. But he will no longer be a member of the Education and Employment Committee or Criminal Justice Subcommittee. Instead, Jacques will now serve on the State Affairs Committee, Higher Education Budget Subcommittee, and Select Committee on Property Taxes.
Other House members representing parts of the Tampa Bay area also received or are continuing important posts.
Rep. Kim Berfield, whose House District 58 includes parts of west and north Pinellas, will continue serving as the Whip for the Education and Employment Committee.
Berfield will no longer serve on the subcommittees for Careers and Workforce or Transportation and Economic Development Budget. She’ll remain on the Student Academic Success Subcommittee and Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee.
As a new assignment this year, Berfield will serve on the Health Care Budget Subcommittee, Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee and Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting.
Rep. Randy Maggard of House District 54, which covers parts of Pasco County, is changing out several roles. He will no longer serve as Whip for the State Affairs Committee and will instead serve as an Alternating Chair for the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.
Maggard will also no longer serve on the Transportation and Economic Development Budget Subcommittee, swapping the role for seats on the Commerce Committee and the State Administration Budget Subcommittee. He will also continue serving on the Natural Resources and Disasters Subcommittee and the Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee.
Koster will now serve as Vice Chair of the Justice Budget Subcommittee after serving as a member this past Session. She will no longer chair the Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee, but will remain a member, and she’ll continue serving on the Judiciary Committee and the Careers and Workforce Subcommittee.
Rep. Michael Owen, whose House District 70 includes parts of Hillsborough and Manatee counties, still won’t hold any committee leadership posts. But he’s been named to the new Select Committee on Property Taxes. While he’ll only maintain one committee post from this Session, the Student Academic Success Subcommittee, he’s adding several new ones, including the State Affairs Committee, Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, and Transportation and Economic Development Budget Subcommittee.
Democrats in the region have sparse assignments.
In addition to Budget, Driskell will continue to serve on the Security and Threat Assessment Special Committee.
Rayner, in addition to serving on the Budget Committee, will continue to serve on the Commerce Committee and subcommittees on Civil Justice and Claims, Justice Budget, and Natural Resources and Disasters. Perez also named her to the Select Committee on Property Taxes.
Rep. Lindsay Cross, who represents parts of St. Petersburg, will maintain the same committee assignments she had last Session, including the State Affairs Committee and subcommittees for Housing, Agriculture and Tourism; Information Technology Budget and Policy; Natural Resources and Disasters; and Transportation and Economic Development Budget.
Rep. Dianne Hart will continue serving on the Health and Human Services Committee and Ways and Means Committee, as well as subcommittees for Criminal Justice, Insurance and Banking, and Transportation and Economic Development Budget.
She will also keep her post on the Rules and Ethics Subcommittee and become a new member of the Select Committee on Property Taxes.
