By Associated Press - Thursday, January 7, 2021

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Veteran western North Carolina Republican legislators have filled chairmanship vacancies on the Senate’s two most influential policy committees, chamber leader Phil Berger announced on Thursday as he unveiled committee assignments.

Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County will now join Sens. Brent Jackson and Kathy Harrington as co-chairs of the Senate Appropriations Committee. And Sen. Warren Daniel of Burke County is a new Senate Finance Committee chairman, a news release said.

Other finance co-chairs will be Sen. Paul Newton as well as Sen. Bill Rabon, who returns to a post he held in the mid-2010s. Rabon also will remain chairman of the powerful Rules Committee. The finance leadership got retooled as co-chairman Jerry Tillman resigned last summer.

Hise, a finance co-chairman during the previous session, fills the budget committee spot held previously by Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown, who didn’t seek reelection. Harrington was named the new majority leader last month.

Daniel and Hise will be the chairmen of the Senate Redistricting Committee. The General Assembly will redraw legislative and congressional maps this year based on 2020 census data.

Republicans hold 28 of the 50 Senate seats entering next week’s two-year session, extending control of the chamber that began in 2011. Like previous sessions under the GOP majority, no Democratic senators will hold chairmanships.

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