Lieutenant Governor-elect Lynn Rogers encouraged by Kansas House’s rural development panel

Democratic Lieutenant Governor-elect Lynn Rogers says he’s encouraged that the Kansas House has formed a new Rural Revitalization Committee and looks forward to working with its Republican chairman.

Rogers will lead an Office of Rural Prosperity once he and Democratic Governor-elect Laura Kelly take office on January 14th.  The office will promote rural areas, develop policies for serving them and work to ensure that state agencies’ efforts line up with rural communities’ needs.

The House committee will examine problems facing rural areas that include declining populations and limited access to broadband service.  Rogers said, “The broader the discussion, the more beneficial it will be.”

The new House committee’s chairman is GOP Representative Don Hineman of Dighton.  Fellow Republicans ousted him as House majority leader earlier this month.