Staff report
RALEIGH ó N.C. Rep. Lorene Coates has been appointed chairwoman of the House Public Utilities Committee, making her the first woman to head the committee, her office said in a press release.
Coates, a Rowan County Democrat now in her fifth term, is also vice chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, the Transportation Committee, and the Committee for Ways and Means/Broadband Connectivity.
House Speaker Joe Hackney also appointed her to the Agriculture, Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Appropriations Committees. “My committee schedule will keep me busy this session, but I’m ready to get to work on the serious challenges we face as a state and a nation,” Coates said.