District 1 Representative-Elect and Ketchikan resident Jeremy Bynum will be joining four other Republicans on the House Finance Committee this legislative session. He is taking over the role of representing southern Southeast in the state legislature from Independent Representative Dan Ortiz. Ortiz held the seat for nearly a decade before withdrawing his candidacy earlier this year. He was part of the powerful Finance Committee for seven years – serving as the committee’s vice-chair for the 2021-2022 sessions.
Bynum won the seat in mid-November by a simple majority of 52% of votes, beating his competitors – Independents Grant EchoHawk and Agnes Moran. The Alaska House Republicans announced Bynum’s appointment to the Finance Committee in a press release on November 7. Bynum will be joining the 19-person Republican minority caucus. The other Republicans serving on the committee are Fairbanks Representatives Will Stapp and Frank Tomaszewski, Eagle River’s Jamie Allard, and Palmer legislator DeLena Johnson.
The House Finance Committee makes recommendations on the state’s executive budget, allocates funds for capital improvements, and oversees the actions of the state’s Department of Revenue.
Lawmakers will convene in Juneau for the first session of the 34th Alaska Legislature on Jan. 21.
