What will Utah's new representative focus on as a freshman in Congress?

Third Congressional District candidate Mike Kennedy gives remarks after declaring victory in Provo on Nov. 5. Rep.-elect Mike Kennedy received his congressional committee assignments earlier this week, and like any freshman, is looking forward to the challenge.

Third Congressional District candidate Mike Kennedy gives remarks after declaring victory in Provo on Nov. 5. Rep.-elect Mike Kennedy received his congressional committee assignments earlier this week, and like any freshman, is looking forward to the challenge. (Isaac Hale, Deseret News)


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KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Rep.-elect Mike Kennedy aims to focus on public lands, energy independence, and tech industry growth.
  • Other Utah representatives received committee assignments, including Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy.

SALT LAKE CITY — Rep.-elect Mike Kennedy received his congressional committee assignments earlier this week, and like any freshman, is looking forward to the challenge. Kennedy, who will replace John Curtis in Utah's 3rd District in January, was appointed to the House Natural Resources and Science, Space and Technology Committees.

According to a press release from his office, Kennedy hopes to leverage these positions to shape legislation around Utah's priorities for public lands, energy production and rural economic development, as well as further the Beehive State's tech and aerospace industry.

"Serving Utahns on these influential committees is both an honor and a responsibility I take seriously," said Kennedy. "I am committed to fighting tirelessly for our working families — preserving our public lands, achieving energy independence, and expanding opportunities in science and technology."

"Together, we can ensure economic growth and innovation directly help the hardworking people of Utah. I look forward to delivering results that strengthen our communities, defend our freedoms and tax dollars, and leave a stronger America for future generations," added Kennedy, a former state senator, physician and attorney.

Committee assignments for other Utah Representatives

Rep. Blake Moore, who represents Utah's 1st District, will remain on the House Ways and Means and Budget Committees. He will also continue to serve as the vice chair of the House Republican Conference after winning his reelection in November.

Rep. Celeste Maloy, who represents Utah's 2nd District, will serve on the House Appropriations Committee. It's relatively common for congressional lawmakers to receive only one committee assignment if they are on a major or highly sought-after committee, such as the Appropriations Committee, since they require a bigger time commitment, as the Deseret News previously reported.

Rep. Burgess Owens will serve on the House Education and Workforce and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He represents Utah's 4th District.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Utah congressional delegationUtahPolitics
Gitanjali Poonia, Deseret NewsGitanjali Poonia
Gitanjali Poonia is an early career journalist who writes about politics, culture and climate change. Driven by her upbringing in New Delhi, India, she takes pride in reporting on underserved and under-covered communities. She holds a bachelor’s in electronic media from San Francisco State University and a master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School.
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